Mexico’s Tequila Mayor Arrested Over Extortion, Cartel Ties
Authorities in Mexico arrested the mayor of Tequila, Jalisco, a city famous for the liquor bearing its name, in connection with an investigation into widespread corruption, extortion, and ties to the terrorist organization Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG).
The arrest took place this week, when federal forces arrested Tequila Mayor Diego Rivera Navarro and three of his top city officials as part of the Beehive Operation, revealed Mexico’s top security officials Omar Garcia Harfuch in a prepared statement shared on social media. Authorities also arrested three other mayors from smaller cities in the state of Mexico.
The investigation against Rivera Navarro stems from an extortion scheme targeting liquor and beer production companies, as well as his ties to CJNG, Garcia Harfuch claimed. In the raid targeting Rivera Navarro, authorities also arrested the local police chief, Juan Manuel Perez Sosa, the city’s Tax Office Director, Juan Gabriel Torribio Villarreal, and the city’s Public Works Director, Issac Carbajal Villasenor.
According to information provided to Breitbart Texas by Mexican federal authorities, Tequila city officials would use the city offices to extort businesses under threat of sanctions and bureaucratic shutdowns. Resistance to the extortions was at times met with threats of violence at the hands of cartel gunmen. The funds from those rackets were then funneled out for personal gain.
According to Mexican authorities, also part of the investigation is a now infamous performance by the Mexican group Alegres del Barranco, where the performers posted banners and pictures praising the narco-terrorist and CJNG leader Nemesio (Mencho) Oseguera. In that case, federal authorities had previously questioned Rivera Navarro.
The raid in Tequila is part of Operation Beehive, a federal initiative led from Harfuch aimed at targeting widespread extortion throughout Mexico, particularly by public officials. As Breitbart Texas reported, the border state of Tamaulipas has become a hotbed of corruption and extortion, with cities like Matamoros even collecting taxes on behalf of the Gulf Cartel.
Also in Tamaulipas, the border city of Reynosa has seen a dramatic increase in extortion on behalf of another faction of the Gulf Cartel, as well as at the hands of city officials.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.
