More than a hundred police officers were arrested in two different operations in Mexico, according to authorities. In Chiapas, 92 municipal agents were arrested for allegedly leaking information to peasant groups. Meanwhile, in Veracruz, 13 police officers are under investigation for their possible involvement in cases of forced disappearance.
The Secretary of Security of the southern state of Chiapas, Óscar Aparicio Avendaño, said at a press conference on Monday that agents from the town of Comitán – close to the border with Guatemala – were arrested after they tried to prevent a takeover operation of a video surveillance center and attacked state officials.
The attorney general of Chiapas, Jorge Luis Llaven Abarca, indicated that, according to the first investigations, the 92 detained municipal police officers passed information to the peasant groups about the state operations to carry out the road blockades, for which they will be prosecuted by the crimes of illegal exercise of functions and mutiny.
After his arrest, various operations were launched in the region, which caused road blockades by peasant organizations that used trucks and destroyed video surveillance cameras in the city. About thirty people were arrested after the roads were cleared, authorities reported. Peasant organizations have been accused of acting under threat from criminals.
The official governor of Chiapas, Eduardo Ramírez Aguilar, called on the population not to be afraid and not to allow themselves to be subjugated by criminals. “Gone are those times where they arrived, they subdued them, (and told them) go do this, go blockade, go against the armed forces,” said Ramírez Aguilar, who took office last week.
A week ago the authorities presented a new elite group of 500 elements, called the “Pakal Immediate Reaction Force,” which is made up of former federal agents. The group will have among its functions the fight against crime in Chiapas, where for months there has been a bloody dispute between the powerful Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels for control of the trafficking routes of migrants, drugs and weapons from Central America. towards the United States.
In addition, thirteen other police officers from the Public Security Secretariat of the southeastern state of Veracruz, in the Gulf of Mexico, were arrested as probable perpetrators of the crime of forced disappearance.
The Veracruz Attorney General’s Office reported that 11 men and two women, who worked as state police, were placed at the disposal of a local judge to determine their legal status.
The Veracruz authorities indicated that there are three cases of forced disappearance in which the agents allegedly participated. So far no details have been offered about how and when the events occurred. The elements were detained when they were summoned to receive a workshop in the capital of this state.
Last month, seven municipal officials were arrested in different regions of the State of Mexico, neighboring the Mexican capital, for their alleged relationship with crimes such as extortion, express kidnapping and homicide. Among those detained was the mayor of the municipality of Amanalco, María Elena Martínez, and three municipal security directors. During the operation, the security director of the municipality of Texcaltitlán committed suicide with his own gun when he was going to be arrested.
Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channels YouTube, WhatsApp and to newsletter. Turn on notifications and follow us on Facebook, x and instagram.
Add Comment