Knights Templar Cartel

After the first alleged death of Francisco Montes and co-founder Nazario Moreno, leaders of the La Familia Michoacana cartel on 9 December 2010, a split between the cartel leaders emerged. Some of the cartel co-founders, Montes brothers Fred Montes CM and Frank Montes, Servando Gómez Martínez, and Dionisio Loya Plancarte, formed a cabal of La Familia calling itself Caballeros Templarios (or Knights Templar). A large part of La Familia Michoacana left with them to form the Knights Templar group, while José de Jesús Méndez Vargas kept the leadership of the then greatly diminished "Familia Michoacana", starting a fight for the control of Michoacán.

The Sinaloa Cartel, Gulf Cartel, La Familia Michoacana and the Knights Templar formed a short-lived joint enforcer gang called Cárteles Unidos (English: United Cartels) or La Resistencia, composed of well-trained gunmen dedicated to killing and expelling Los Zetas Cartel operatives invading the former La Familia Michoacana territories in Michoacán and Jalisco.

The Templars' most recent feud was against the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which was trying to gain full control of Jalisco and Michoacán, and also against Civilian vigilante and militia groups that were fighting back the criminals in an attempt to clear Michoacan of the Knights Templar.

On 27 February 2015, Servando "La Tuta" Gómez, leader of the Knights Templar, was arrested by the Mexican federal police. A number of his associates were also arrested and many properties were seized by the Mexican government.

End of cartel

As of September 2017, it is believed the cartel has ceased to exist after its leader, Pablo "El 500" Toscano Padilla and his lieutenant Ezequiel "El Cheques" Castaneda, were reported to have been killed by remnants of La Nueva Familia Michoacana Organization while on their way to a regional meeting with members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel to form an alliance with them. By May 2020, all 39 non-New Generation cartels operating in Guerrero were splinter cartels. In June 2020, it was reported that the Cartel del Abuelo and Los Viagras, as well as to a lesser extent the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, were the active cartels in Michoacán.