Self-defense Groups Control 13 Cities and a Community in Western Mexican State

MICHOACAN, MEXICO - JANUARY 09: Armed men of the self-defense group remove dust from their clothes and weapons as they patrol the mountain range at the outskirt of Paracuaro, in the state of Michoacan, Mexico. Despite some success by self-defense groups to free a few municipalities from the Knights Templar cartel, the cartel continues to enforce a stranglehold on other parts of Michoacan, a rich farming state that is a major exporter of lime, avocado and mango on January 08, 2014 in Mexico Paracuaro, Mexico. (Photo by Miguel Tovar/LatinContent via Getty Images)