Overview
- An Army contingent of 180 special-operations troops known as Murciélagos is now operating in Tepalcatepec, Buenavista, Apatzingán, Tumbiscatío and La Huacana.
- The detachment forms part of Plan Michoacán, a wider deployment of about 1,980 Army and National Guard personnel with support from five Air Force helicopters.
- Units are under the 21st and 43rd Military Zones with operational grouping in Morelia, Uruapan, Apatzingán, Zamora and Pátzcuaro.
- The force brings night-operations training and equipment including tactical drones, counter‑drone systems, mine‑detection and neutralization vehicles, explosive ordnance teams and real‑time surveillance.
- Military reporting cites contested control by CJNG, Cárteles Unidos, Nueva Familia Michoacana and Los Viagras as the focus, with the reinforcement following recent killings and armed clashes in the region.