On Wednesday, the Michoacán Prosecutor’s Office announced a reward of 100,000 pesos (approximately $5,700) for information leading to the whereabouts of José Manuel Jiménez Miranda, the head of the security detail for Carlos Manzo—the mayor of Uruapan who was assassinated late last year.
The local prosecutor’s office announced this incentive seven months after the mayor’s killing. His death—he was gunned down by a group of criminals in the municipality’s main square during Day of the Dead celebrations—triggered a political upheaval. The incident also brought the deep-seated issue of insecurity in Mexico back into the public conversation and demonstrated, once again, the dangers faced by politicians who confront drug trafficking. So far, authorities have detained around twenty suspects. Among those arrested are seven members of the mayor’s security detail.
Earlier this month, the state prosecutor’s office reported the arrest of two additional individuals in the Carlos Manzo case. Those arrested are Héctor Hugo “N,” who worked at the Uruapan Regional Prosecutor’s Office, and Juan Luis “N”—alias “Comandante Gary”—a member of the Michoacán Civil Guard. Authorities accuse them of allegedly leaking information to two operatives of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) who are also in custody.
The 24 people detained for the murder provide a clear picture of the scope and network of favors that have turned the CJNG into a parallel power within Michoacán. At the center of the web of arrests is Jorge Armando, alias “El Licenciado.” Prosecutors identify him as the mastermind behind the attack. According to the prosecutor’s office, he coordinated the other individuals involved in the homicide. Among them is the person who killed the mayor: a teenager named Víctor Manuel Ubaldo.
However, one piece of the puzzle is still missing: Ramón Ángel Álvarez Ayala, alias “El R1.” Investigators identify him as the brains behind the plot to kill Manzo. The assassinated politician gained national fame for his outspoken stance against organized crime through the “Hat Movement” (Movimiento del Sombrero). Both Álvarez Ayala and his brother, “El R2,” received direct orders from Nemesio Oseguera—”El Mencho”—the undisputed leader of the CJNG, who was killed on February 22.
Source: elpais
