An operation was carried out at the Juchitán police station for links to organized crime.

OAXACA, Oax. (apro).- More than a thousand federal and state law enforcement officers took control of the Juchitán de Zaragoza Municipal Police headquarters and the Trust Evaluation and Control Center (C2) in that town in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, amid suspicions of possible links to organized crime that has engaged in homicides, extortion, kidnappings, and protection rackets, among other acts.

This was announced by the Oaxaca Attorney General's Office, detailing that several members of the Juchitán municipal police were arrested in this "mega-operation" in which the State Investigation Agency (AEI), the Secretariats of National Defense (Defense) and Navy (Semar), as well as the National Guard and the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC) participated. However, they are waiting to confirm how many will be handed over to the Public Ministry.

It's worth mentioning that as part of their criminal intelligence efforts, they launched "Operation Sabre," which has led to the arrest of "62 priority targets and perpetrators of violence in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec." This includes those who set fire to two OXXO stores in Juchitán de Zaragoza, and arrests that have been made without a single shot being fired.

Prosecutor Bernardo Rodríguez Alamilla stated that the arrests of the four people linked to the convenience store fires were the result of coordinated efforts carried out through Operation Sable, a program involving state and federal agencies.

He mentioned that, through criminal intelligence work, it was determined that the convenience store fires, along with extortion incidents that occurred in the Juchitán de Zaragoza area, were reactions by this criminal cell led by Commander Cromo, one of the main perpetrators of violence in the region, following the arrest of two of his relatives.

It is important to remember that on June 16, several acts of violence occurred in Juchitán, including the fires at two branches of the OXXO convenience store chain, one located on Abasolo Street at the corner of Rosendo Pineda Street, and another located on Saúl Martínez Street in the Eighth Section.

For this reason, Section 22 of the National Union of Education Workers suspended classes throughout the region, while the transportation system also suspended its services and businesses closed their premises because this criminal group was collecting protection money.

It was on June 18 that NJJC, alias "Chico Bala"; JASS, alias "Chuy"; BACS, alias "Papaya"; and CEBC, alias "Cachorro" were arrested. They are believed to be linked to Commander Cromo's criminal cell, one of the main sources of violence in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.

Rodríguez Alamilla emphasized that when high levels of violence or virulent reactions from criminal groups occur in a specific area, it is necessary to understand that these events originate in long processes of dismantling the social fabric and weakening the rule of law in security and justice processes. Therefore, the approach must be comprehensive and inter-institutional to address the causes.

He mentioned that Operation Saber aims to combat crime in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec region, and is working jointly with the Oaxaca State Attorney General's Office, National Defense (DEFENSA), the Navy, the National Guard (GN), and the Federal Secretariat of Public Security and Citizen Protection and the State Police.

He believes that the operation this Saturday, June 21, is a forceful institutional response to the acts of violence triggered by the recent arrests, seeking to dismantle the structures of criminal groups seeking to cause unrest in the social fabric.

Criminal intelligence work allows for the focus of efforts on areas identified as hot spots in that municipality, due to the incidence of crime primarily linked to crimes such as extortion, homicide, kidnapping, and extortion, among others.

Likewise, municipal police facilities are reviewed and inspected by the State Attorney General's Office, and through the Trust and Evaluation Center of the Executive Secretariat of the State Public Security System, the corresponding letters are issued to members of that municipal corporation so they can attend the trust and evaluation.

For now, the security and law enforcement agencies involved in the operation are conducting deterrent patrols and installing security checkpoints at the entrances and exits of Juchitán de Zaragoza.