Mexico sends 1,200 more troops to Michoacan state after weekend of cartel violence

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Mexican government says it has sent 1,200 more troops to the cartel-dominated western state of Michoacan after a weekend of violence. State prosecutors say three convenience stores and five trucks and cars had been set afire, a tactic often used by drug cartels in the state to enforce extortion demands. The Defense Department says the soldiers and National Guard members were sent in over the weekend. It says the troops have been ordered to ensure people can freely transit roads in the state and prevent cartels from blocking roads. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Monday that “peace and tranquility” has been restored to the region.