The El Abuelo Cartel, also known as the Cartel del Abuelo, is a Mexican drug cartel based in Tepalcatepec, Michoacan. Founded in 2014 by the former Autodefensas leader Juan Jose Flores Alvarez, it was originally a vigilante group which fought against the Knights Templar Cartel. The El Abuelo Cartel allied itself with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel when it moved into Michoacan in 2019, but CJNG boss Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes began a series of assaults on the El Abuelo Cartel in 2020. In May 2020, Flores Alvarez called on vigilante groups in four municipalities to unite and resist the CJNG's invasion.