The Congress of the state of Oaxaca agreed this Friday to the dissolution of the municipality of Juchitán de Zaragoza after the arrest of its municipal president, Miguel Sánchez Altamirano, accused of "aggravated extortion and crimes against the security of the state."
According to the Attorney General of Oaxaca, "Intelligence work established that Sánchez Altamirano (as a political-social actor) participated, promoted, and covered up criminal activities in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec due to his close relationship and strategic ties" with the criminal group Los Cromos, the operational arm of the Jalisco New Generation cartel in that area. The organization was dedicated to extorting merchants and businessmen, drug dealing, human trafficking, and homicide.
According to the same Attorney General, Sánchez provided "political and economic cover to Los Cromos and facilitated the C2 cameras to alert the presence of state and federal security corporations." After his arrest, five blockades were recorded on roads in the region to demand his release, which lasted about two hours.
In light of this situation, the governor of Oaxaca, Salomón Jara Cruz, requested the "disappearance of powers" of the municipality of Juchitán de Zaragoza. "The municipality of Juchitán de Zaragoza is going through a situation that requires firm decisions and clarity in the conduct of its government," Jara has stated to justify the measure.