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The Prosecutor's Office of the state of Morelos (central Mexico) reported this Monday that three agents were held by a criminal group and released in exchange for handing over an alleged criminal leader who had been detained hours earlier.
The events took place in the municipality of Totolapan, near the border with the State of Mexico, where agents from the High Impact Crime Investigation Prosecutor's Office (FIDAI) and the state Secretariat of Security arrested the alleged criminal in an anti-extortion operation, the state Prosecutor's Office reported.
The detainee, subsequently released, was identified by the authorities as being responsible for episodes of violence in the region and linked to the criminal group 'Pueblos Unidos'.
After the arrest, members of that criminal group held three collaborators from the Eastern Regional Prosecutor's Office, the authority added.
Given this, the authorities activated an attention protocol for kidnapping cases to protect the integrity of the agents.
"The collaborators were released around 7:35 p.m. (01:35 GMT) this Monday when the person detained hours earlier was handed over," the state Prosecutor's Office indicated.
The institution added that one agent was wounded by gunfire and was taken to a hospital, where his health condition is reported as stable.
Finally, it stressed that the lives of its personnel are a "priority," which is why the necessary actions were executed to safeguard their physical integrity, and assured that the events "will not go unpunished."
The episode occurs in a context of sustained violence in Morelos, including criminal disputes and attacks against security forces.
The state is among those most affected by lethal violence and attacks against security forces. In 2025, Morelos recorded one of the highest rates of homicidal violence in the country, with 53 victims per 100,000 inhabitants, according to data from México Evalúa.
[Publicidad]