Mayor of Juchitán arrested; investigation into alleged protection of criminal groups underway

Mexican authorities arrested Miguel Sánchez Altamirano, mayor of Juchitán de Zaragoza in the southern state of Oaxaca, this Wednesday, alongside a man identified by the alias 'La Parca.' Both were wanted on arrest warrants for aggravated extortion and crimes against state security.

The Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), Omar García Harfuch, reported the arrests on his social media channels and noted that the two are linked to a criminal structure allegedly dedicated to extortion and racketeering targeting merchants and business owners, as well as drug dealing, human trafficking, and homicide.

Investigations also link them to "protection schemes that allegedly facilitated the operation of criminal groups in the region," although the official did not specify which organization is involved nor detail the role each person allegedly played.

Sánchez Altamirano, a member of the ruling National Regeneration Movement (Morena), is governing Juchitán for the 2025-2027 term, after first assuming the mayorship in 2022 as a substitute for Emilio Montero Pérez and subsequently winning the 2024 municipal election.

The capture comes amid a security strategy deployed since April in Juchitán, one of the main municipalities in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, due to the high incidence of crimes such as homicide, extortion, and drug dealing.

Last April, the Oaxaca Prosecutor's Office identified those exact three crimes as being among the most impactful in the municipality and noted that criminal groups had even incorporated minors into activities such as surveillance, extortion, and contract killing.

As part of the so-called 'Juchitán Plan for Peace, Justice and Wellbeing,' state authorities reported 219 arrests, 35 seized firearms, and the confiscation of more than 3,600 doses of drugs in July.

Sánchez Altamirano himself had participated alongside state and federal authorities in actions related to that pacification and security strategy in the municipality.

García Harfuch added that, as part of the investigation, the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF) has frozen resources and blocked accounts of individuals related to the case, without specifying amounts or the number of people affected.

Furthermore, he stated that investigations and operations will continue in order to completely dismantle the criminal structure and arrest other potential suspects.

The secretariats of the Navy, Defense, and Security participated in the operation, along with the Attorney General's Office (FGR), the National Guard, and Oaxaca state authorities.