The appearance of banners with threatening messages, possibly signed by a criminal group, mobilized security forces this Thursday morning in Ciudad Sahagún, Tepeapulco, a municipality in the Hidalgo highlands.
This morning, Governor Julio Menchaca Salazar was scheduled to visit the region to preside over the Apan Services Fair—15 kilometers away—but canceled his visit. The governor stated that he suspended his arrival and the day’s planned activities due to the strong gusts of wind that have been occurring since early morning in the highlands, “prioritizing the safety of everyone.”
The banners were hung on various structures in the municipality, prompting the deployment of municipal and state police to remove the messages and secure the sites.
The threats were allegedly signed by a criminal group involved in drug trafficking, as well as the illegal possession and sale of hydrocarbons. Although its main area of operation is the region known as “The Red Triangle” in Puebla, it also operates in the border area with Tlaxcala and Hidalgo, where it converges in the Altiplano region.
Since the administration of Omar Fayad Meneses (2016-2022), this group, Los Bukanas, had been identified as operating in Hidalgo, engaging in the criminal activity of fuel theft from Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) pipelines through clandestine taps.
In the banners, the criminal group “and allies” allegedly threaten reprisals against other criminal cells in the region, which includes the municipalities of Apan and Tepeapulco, asserting that the area already has an “owner.”
This Thursday, the governor was scheduled to lead the Services Fair, which is part of his program called the Routes of Transformation.
Although the official opening ceremony takes place at the fair, other activities surrounding it, such as the distribution of agricultural aid (which was scheduled for today), construction site inspections, surprise visits to health centers, meetings with beneficiaries and authorities, among others, have all been suspended.
The spokesperson for the Executive Branch explained that, initially, it was announced that only the Services Fair was canceled, “because there was a risk that the tents could be blown away,” but the other activities, including the distribution of agricultural aid, were still going to take place; “however, Civil Protection warned that no event was viable, so it was decided to reschedule all the activities of the Transformation Routes.”
The president himself posted on his social media: “We know that many people were already preparing to join us,” but that due to the strong winds, they decided to reschedule to a date that will be announced later.
Source: proceso
