A federal judge in Mexico has formally charged the mayor of the city of Tequila with kidnapping and torture-related charges. The new charges come just days after his initial arrest on extortion and ties to Cartel Jalisco New Generation.
In a hearing on Saturday afternoon, a Mexican federal judge ordered that Tequila Mayor Diego Rivera Navarro and two of his close associates be held without bond on multiple charges. As Breitbart Texas reported, this week, Mexican federal authorities carried out several raids targeting Rivera Navarro, his police chief, Juan Manuel Perez Soz, and the city’s tax director, Juan Gabriel Torribio Villarreal.
Initially, the three men were charged in connection with an extortion scheme where they would use their city offices to levy fines and fees on businessowners, threatening them with closing the business if they did not pay. The group would also imply that they were connected with Cartel Jalisco New Generation and use the threat of violence at the hands of gunmen as part of their scheme. The group is believed to have targeted tequila and beer manufacturing operations, as well as gas stations and other businesses in that region of Jalisco.
However, during the most recent court hearing, Mexican federal prosecutors asserted that Rivera Navarro had kidnapped two political rivals who were running against him for mayor and had forced them to drop out of the race. In connection with that case, the federal judge charged the three men with engaging in organized crime as part of a kidnapping. The judge also charged Rivera Navarro and Torribio Villarreal with one count of aggravated kidnapping.
Rivera’s arrest is tied to Operation Beehive (Enjambre), a push by Mexican federal forces aimed at stopping the widespread extortion of businesses by criminal organizations and politicians in Mexico. The operation is expected to target more cartel-connected politicians in the near future.
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 [email protected].
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 [email protected].
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