Authorities Reveal New Details in Homicide of Mexican Mayor Investigated Over Ties With Organized Crime

Another public official was killed in Mexico this week as Martha Laura Mendoza Mendoza, the mayor of Tepalcatepec, Michoacán, was shot along with her husband and son in broad daylight near the town center.

The Michoacán Attorney General's Office said the attack occurred around 11 a.m. Tuesday. Mendoza's husband, Ulises S., was also killed, and Mexican media reported that one of their sons sustained serious injuries.

Initial reports indicate Mendoza, her husband, and Marini Milce A., a Cuban national, were returning home after lunch when an armed individual approached them and opened fire before fleeing the scene.

Forensic investigators recovered 9 mm shell casings at the scene, and the bodies were transferred to the Forensic Medical Service (SEMEFO) for autopsies. Mendoza was pronounced dead at the scene, while her husband later died from his injuries at a nearby hospital.

"Under instructions from the attorney general, upon learning of the incident, 35 investigative officers, 10 forensic experts from various disciplines, and Coordinating Prosecutor Nicolás Maldonado Millán were deployed to the scene," the agency said in a statement, as reported by Infobae México.

Mendoza was serving her second term as mayor after narrowly winning the 2021 election by a single vote — 1,528 to 1,527 — as a candidate for the now-defunct Fuerza X México party, defeating Ramón del Val Díaz of the Morena-PT alliance.

Before her death, Mendoza was under investigation by Mexico's Attorney General's Office for alleged ties to organized crime. Authorities had identified her as the sister of Blanca Yesenia Mendoza Mendoza, wife of Juan José Farías Álvarez, alias "El Abuelo", a suspected leader of the Tepalcatepec Cartel and former associate of Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera Cervantes, head of the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG).

According to LatinUS, the Farías family has long held public office in Tepalcatepec. Uriel Farías, also known as "El Paisa" and brother of El Abuelo, served as mayor from 2008 to 2011 and currently sits on the city council as a member of the Morena-PT alliance.

In May 2009, El Paisa was arrested during a federal crackdown known as the "Michoacanazo," targeting individuals suspected of ties to the La Familia Michoacana cartel, the precursor to the Knights Templar cartel.

What Is the Tepalcatepec Cartel?

The Tepalcatepec Cartel was formed in 2013, initially as a self-defense force aiming to combat the Knights Templar cartel, which had been terrorizing communities in Michoacán. Over time, the group was reportedly infiltrated by criminal actors and evolved into a full-fledged drug trafficking organization.

Authorities say the cartel now engages in drug trafficking, extortion, and other criminal activities across Michoacán.

Rivals of the CJNG

The Tepalcatepec Cartel has clashed with the CJNG since at least 2019, according to InSight Crime. That year, El Mencho allegedly ordered his forces to invade Michoacán and expel El Abuelo's group from Tepalcatepec — a municipality of strategic importance along key drug trafficking routes.

Tepalcatepec lies on the border of Michoacán and Jalisco and provides easy access to Acapulco and the Port of Lázaro Cárdenas, both crucial points for receiving precursor chemicals and smuggled drugs that are later transported north through Michoacán into Guadalajara, and eventually to the United States.