A newly captured cartel boss with deep political connections assumed leadership of a regional cell of Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) while having been the head of the state police force in the Mexican State of Tabasco. He allegedly used police forces to carry out enforcement actions against rivals. CJNG is one of the six Mexican cartels listed as foreign terrorist groups by the U.S. government.
In recent days, Paraguayan police forces arrested Hernan “El Abuelo” Bermudez, the former head of police for Tabasco and the reputed leader of the Barredora cell of CJNG. Moments after the arrest, Mexico’s top law enforcement official Omar Garcia Harfuch announced the action on social media, which was done in a joint operation between Paraguayan and Mexican authorities. Bermudez is expected to be returned to Mexico, where he is facing various organized crime charges. Bermudez was the reputed leader of the Barredora faction of CJNG in Tabasco.
Paraguayan President Santiago Pena and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum mutually congratulated each other following Bermudez’s arrest, identifying him as one of Mexico’s most wanted criminals.
As Breitbart Texas reported, Bermudez had gone on the run and fled the country in January, when he learned that Mexican authorities had been looking for him. In July, Mexican authorities filed a Red Notice with Interpol requesting his capture.
The case against Bermudez sparked widespread speculation and political turmoil, as he is described as a close friend of former Tabasco Governor and former Secretary of the Interior, Adan Augusto Lopez.
The Barredora or streetsweeper earned much fame in Mexico for working as an enforcement wing for CJNG in Tabasco and being highly effective in killing off members of rival criminal organizations. Under Bermudez’s leadership, several police officers are believed to have been working for La Barredora while in uniform.
The ongoing case comes at a time when the U.S. government has been pressuring Mexico to investigate and fight drug cartels under the threat of tariffs and sanctions. The move has put Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum in a tight spot since key politicians within her political party, including Adan Augusto Lopez and the sons of her predecessor, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, have been name-dropped in organized crime cases.
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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