Tequila mayor arrested for alleged extortion
Diego Rivera Navarro, the mayor of Tequila, Jalisco, has been arrested on suspicion of extorting distillers, Mexico’s federal security minister has confirmed.
Yesterday (5 February), in a raid known as Operación Enjambre, or Operation Swarm, Navarro and three other high-ranking municipal officials – the director of public security, the director of cadastre and property tax, and the director of public works – were arrested following several citizen complaints.
All four are allegedly linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, with charges raised on alleged participation in acts of extortion, threats to entrepreneurs, and connections with criminal structures of drug trafficking in the region.
According to Mexico’s federal security minister, Omar García Harfuch, the arrest was carried out within the framework of the national strategy against extortion and the fight against corruption instructed by the president of Mexico, Claudia Shein.
The news follows last year’s complaint filed by Becle-owned Tequila company Jose Cuervo, which accused Navarro of imposing excessive charges on municipal taxes and licenses.
The filing involved an intention to collect 60 million pesos (US$3.46 million) without any claimed legal basis.
The Spirits Business has reached out to Jose Cuervo for a comment on the arrest.
The town of Tequila in Jalisco is often referred to as ‘the birth place of Tequila’.
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