Breathe
By Yohali Reséndiz
A couple of weeks ago, a manipulated video circulated in social networks in Morelos. Manipulated, because it shows what they conveniently wanted to show and hides what actually happened.
The video shows the municipal president of Cuautla, Jesús Corona Damián, together with Jorge Bazán Reyes, director of Municipal Markets and coordinator of Plazas de Abasto; Samuel Márquez, "El Mayor," secretary of the city council; and Toledano Amaro, mayor of Atlatlahucan. All met with Jupiter Araujo Bernard, alias "El Barbas", alleged leader of the Sinaloa Cartel in the eastern region of Morelos.
Following this leak, the mayor of Cuautla denied any links to organized crime and reiterated his willingness to collaborate with the State Attorney General's Office (FGE) and any federal authority. But what the video does not show is how and why the meeting actually took place.
To understand the full story, I had access to several sources close to the case, interviewed witnesses and reconstructed the full story of what happened that day.
The facts date back to May 2024. During an electoral tour, Jesús Corona Damián, Jorge Bazán Reyes and Samuel Márquez were traveling in an armored van when they were intercepted by two vehicles with armed men. They held them at gunpoint and forced the driver to follow a previously established route.
They took them to a place in the same municipality. When they arrived, they forced them to get out. Other politicians were already at the table: Toledano Amaro, mayor of Atlatlahucan, and Nayla Ruiz Rodríguez, Morena local deputy for district 7.
At the center of the meeting was Júpiter Araujo Bernard, "El Barbas". But they were not alone. A score of armed men surrounded them.
The footage leaked to networks shows only part of the scene, but it is clear that it was edited for a specific purpose. As proof of this, there is a key participant whose face was deliberately pixelated: a man in a lime green T-shirt, identified as Raúl Tadeo Nava, former local deputy, former mayor of Cuautla, accused of embezzlement and recently an aspirant to the leadership of Morena in Morelos. Why hide his face if all the others were exposed?
From a strategic point, a camera recorded the meeting. The conversation was recorded. In the video, "El Barbas" makes his point bluntly:
-We will contribute votes (money) to their campaign and, once they win, we will charge a monthly fee to keep the municipalities quiet.
Some of those present remained silent. Others, paralyzed by fear, only managed to respond with monosyllables. Jesús Corona Damián could barely articulate an "Okay," a phrase that was recorded on the tape.
Months passed. The elections came and everyone won. But then came the cashing out.
Shortly after the forced meeting, the mayor of Cuautla suffered an attack. An armed attack from which he survived, but which made it clear that the pact imposed by fear had to be fulfilled. He filed a complaint with the Attorney General's Office. It would not be the last.
The Secretary of Public Security, Omar Garcia Harfuch, confirmed that the Attorney General's Office (FGR) had initiated an investigation against a mayor and several officials of Morelos for their alleged links to organized crime. Without naming specific names, he said:
-There is a municipal president, a secretary of the City Council and I believe there are three other servants.
In addition, the Special Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime took over the case due to the presence of weapons used exclusively by the Army in the video and the possible relationship of those involved with criminal activities.
There are at least three complaints about these events: two before the FGR and one before the Morelos Attorney General's Office. Among the complainants are Mayor Jesús Corona Damián and Samuel Márquez, "El Mayor", who were forced to attend the meeting with "El Barbas" and have provided details of what happened.
Public Security Secretary Miguel Angel Urrutia has warned that at least 14 criminal groups are operating in Morelos and that 18 of the 36 mayors, as well as deputies and former legislators, are allegedly linked to organized crime.
This case is a brutal illustration of what many mayors face in Mexico. How many politicians have been forced to make deals with criminals with a gun pointed at them? How many more have been exposed without telling the whole story? Who will dare to investigate the structure of organized crime infiltrating politics without ending up as one more figure in impunity?
The opinions expressed are the responsibility of the authors and are absolutely independent of the position and editorial line of the company. Opinion 51.
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