Joaquín Díaz Morales, head of the fire brigade and ejidatario in Tule y Portugal in the municipality of Guadalupe y Calvo, was murdered on 27 October 2018 in Tarahumara. He was 70 years old.

Joaquín was the ejidal commissioner of the area and was a land defender and an activist against illegal logging. He fought for many years to defend the land in his community. Joaquín’s family reported that he had received threats because of activism.

His murder follows that of Julián Carrillo, who was killed two weeks previously. Since 2005, Julián had, together with his family, fought to protect the natural resources in Coloradas de la Virgen.

The municipality of Guadalupe y Calvo is located in the Golden Triangle, an area where Chihuahua, Sinaloa and Durango converge. This area is known for the cultivation and transportation of drugs and also for illegal logging.