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Security authorities arrested the mayor of the famous municipality of Tequila (Jalisco, west), the birthplace of the traditional Mexican spirit, this Thursday over allegations of extortion and other crimes, the government reported.
Mayor Diego Rivera Navarro, a member of President Claudia Sheinbaum's Morena party, was apprehended in a joint operation by the Mexican army, navy, police, and the Attorney General's Office, detailed Secretary of Security Omar García Harfuch on his X account.
"Diego 'N', municipal president of Tequila, was arrested in Jalisco (...). Three other public servants from the city council were also arrested," the official added in the post.
The operation took place during the early hours of Thursday, when local residents spotted the mobilization of security forces, in addition to the overflight of an aircraft, according to testimonies collected by AFP.
After carrying out searches in several properties, the arrest of Rivera and three officials of his administration was achieved, who are also accused of extorting businessmen and merchants in the town, known for its tequila production plants.
García Harfuch reported that the arrests are part of the so-called Operation Swarm, which was launched in November 2024 with the arrest of three mayors from the central State of Mexico, also accused of extortion and ties to organized crime.
Rivera had already been questioned for closing the facilities of the National Tequila Museum in October 2024 for his personal use, without authorization from the National Institute of Anthropology and History, the entity responsible for the country's public museums.
The Jalisco state prosecutor's office reported last December that it was also investigating him for complaints of illegal fee collection from businessmen in the municipality.
Corruption among local authorities, whether under threat or in complicity with organized crime groups, is a widespread problem in Mexico, especially in regions with a strong presence of these gangs such as Jalisco.
That area is a stronghold of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel, designated by the United States as a foreign terrorist organization and identified as one of the main traffickers of fentanyl and other drugs into that country.
[Publicidad]