Eight members of the Manzanillo Municipal Police were formally charged after being accused of allegedly sharing operational security information with a cell of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel during December 2023.
What are the officers accused of?
According to the State Attorney General’s Office, the defendants face charges of criminal association and misuse of information related to public safety, law enforcement, and the administration of justice, as well as the prison system.
The judicial authority ordered justified pretrial detention, so the eight officers will remain in custody while the supplementary investigation is carried out, which is scheduled to last two months.
How did they allegedly operate?
According to the information presented by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the events occurred between December 2 and 19, 2023. During that period, the officers allegedly leaked information about the presence and absence of security forces, as well as details of operations and real-time reports from the C5i command center.
The investigation indicates that communication with the criminal cell was conducted through the encrypted messaging application Threema, which facilitated the coordination of illicit activities.
The eight police officers were identified as Rolando “N”, Sergio Alejandro “N”, Nora Alejandra “N”, José Santos “N”, Roberto “N”, José Luis “N”, Martín Gerardo “N”, and Miguel Ángel “N”, with tenures ranging from 8 to 25 years within the force.
What did the authorities say?
The state attorney general, Bryant Alejandro García Ramírez, indicated that the detainees allegedly leaked key information about arrests, checkpoints, and operations.
For her part, the mayor of Manzanillo, Rosa María Bayardo Cabrera, stated that the officers “betrayed the people’s trust,” while emphasizing that the arrests send a clear message against impunity.
Meanwhile, the State Secretary of Public Security, Fabián Ricardo Gómez Calcáneo, announced the implementation of the Quadrant Plan, which will include the deployment of new patrol vehicles, 24 of which will be assigned to Manzanillo, with the goal of reinforcing security and restoring public trust.
This incident occurs within a context of heightened security pressure in Manzanillo, one of the strategic municipalities in the state of Colima, where authorities are seeking to contain the operations of criminal groups and strengthen public security institutions.
Source: posta
