A Mexican judge formally charged the mayor of Tequila, Diego Rivera Navarro on accusations of organized crime and the 2021 kidnapping of two mayoral candidates.
Rivera Navarro took office in October 2024 after running as a candidate of Morena, Mexico's ruling party. His campaign was allegedly financed by the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), which authorities say supported his political career from the outset.
Judge Mario Elizondo Martínez upheld the mandatory pretrial detention and ordered Rivera Navarro to remain at the Altiplano federal prison as the case against him moves forward.
Juan Manuel Pérez Sosa, who served as public security director, and Juan Gabriel Toribio Villareal, director of property records and taxes, will also remain behind bars at a prison in the state of Chiapas.
The judge accepted evidence presented by federal prosecutors linking Rivera Navarro to the March 2021 kidnapping of Morena's mayoral hopeful in Tequila, Guillermo Cordero García, and his running mate, Julio Alejandro García Gutiérrez. Prosecutors allege Rivera Navarro kidnapped, beat and tortured the men to force them to withdraw their political bids.
The court gave Mexico's Attorney General's Office four months to complete the complementary investigation.
Rivera Navarro was arrested Feb. 5 on separate allegations that he extorted major tequila distillers in coordination with the Jalisco cartel, led by Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as "El Mencho."
Last December, tequila producer José Cuervo filed a complaint with the Jalisco Attorney General's Office accusing the mayor's administration of imposing a property tax up to 20 times the legal rate and levying a fine exceeding 60 million pesos, about $3.45 million, while withholding permits and attempting to shut down one of its plants.
This week, Morena began expulsion proceedings against Rivera Navarro and Toribio Villareal and suspended their party rights pending clarification of the circumstances surrounding their arrests.
Jalisco-based outlet El Informador reported that Jalisco Public Security Secretary Juan Pablo Hernández said investigations in Tequila revealed that after the former mayor's arrest, seven police officers stopped reporting to work and their whereabouts remain unknown.
As authorities continue investigating the CJNG's criminal network in Tequila, President Claudia Sheinbaum called for close oversight of the local government after the interim mayor, Marison Rodríguez, was also accused of ties to the Jalisco cartel.
"The person is chosen by the City Council, and we must remain vigilant to ensure that this administration operates within the law and restores peace to the municipality of Tequila," Sheinbaum said during a news conference.
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