Meet Bernardo Bravo ManrĂquez the president of the Lemon & Lime Producers Association in Michoacán, Mexico 🍋.
On October 19, 2025, Bernardo was found murdered in his car after being abducted by armed men. His “crime”? Daring to speak out against the cartels extorting local farmers and hijacking the citrus business.
This isn’t an isolated story — Michoacán’s farmers (from limes to avocados 🥑) have been under cartel control for years. These groups now decide who sells, who buys, and who “pays protection.”
👉 Why it matters: Bernardo wasn’t a politician or a gangster he was a farmer trying to protect honest work. And in cartel-controlled zones, that alone can get you killed.