 | Arnoldo Rueda-Medina, 48, boss of the La Familia Michoacan drug cartel, whose arrest led to the revenge killing of 12 Mexican police officers, has been sentenced to over 43 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade also ordered him to pay $5 million in fines – an amount the judge acknowledged was a “drop in the bucket.” Known as “La Minsa,” Rueda-Medina pleaded guilty in September 2017 to one count of conspiracy with intent to distribute drugs and one count of conspiracy to launder money. |  |
 | Cartel members unsuccessfully tried to free Rueda-Medina after his arrest, attacking the police station where he was held and engaging in a firefight with police on the streets of Morelia in Michoacan. Four officers and two Mexican Marines were killed. |  |
 | On July 13, 2009, a group of 12 officers were kidnapped, tortured, and murdered. A note found at the scene where the bodies were dumped stated ‘Vengan por otro, los estamos esperando’ (‘Come for another, we are waiting for you’). Formed in the 1980s, La Familia Michoacan is accused of producing massive amounts of methamphetamine in laboratories in Michoacan. |  |
