(Bloomberg) – Mexican authorities detained the mayor of a historic city near the capital in the latest move to demonstrate that the government is eradicating corrupt politicians from its ranks.
The mayor of Cuautla, Jesús Corona Damián, was arrested on Saturday (30), according to the security minister, Omar García Harfuch, in a post on X. A arrest warrant had been issued by the Attorney General on May 20.
Corona had been on the run in recent days after the Ministry of Security announced in May the arrest of other senior officials from the state of Morelos. The actions are part of a broader operation led by President Claudia Sheinbaum, who took office in 2024 with an anti-corruption message, to arrest dozens of politicians involved in extortion schemes and with alleged ties to larger criminal organizations.
“With this operation, more than 85 officers and former officers have been detained, including seven mayors currently in office,” García Harfuch said on X. “The government of Mexico maintains a zero-tolerance policy regarding any links between authorities and criminal groups.”
Corona, who was also elected mayor in 2024, was accused of involvement in extortion by state and federal authorities, which he denies. Federal prosecutors opened an investigation after the release of a video in which he appears drinking with a supposed drug trafficker linked to the infamous Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico. He was the target of a shooting attack in 2024, but survived the assault in a car with bulletproof glass.
Mexico has faced pressure from the U.S. to demonstrate that it can handle corruption without compromising the political ties that sustain Sheinbaum’s government. Earlier this year, American authorities indicted then-Governor of Sinaloa Rubén Rocha Moya, and nine other current and former politicians, for ties to the Sinaloa Cartel and for facilitating the flow of narcotics to the U.S.
The Attorney General’s Office summoned them for questioning, but the government did not specify whether they will be extradited.
Corona was mayor from 2019 to 2021 for Sheinbaum’s Morena party, before running for a second term with the opposition and being reelected in 2024. The Sheinbaum government has been striving to ensure the arrest of authorities across the political spectrum. In February, it jailed a Morena mayor in the state of Jalisco.
Cuautla became known in the early 19th century as the place where Mexican revolutionaries, in a region marked by sugarcane plantations, fought to resist the advance of Spanish troops before the country’s independence. About two hours by car south of Mexico City, it is today a popular weekend tourist destination and known for its hot springs and leather goods.
The Coparmex business group stated, in an analysis published in January, that extortion rose in 20 Mexican states last year, becoming one of the “most persistent and damaging costs for business activity in Mexico.” The analysis cited government data showing that there are at least 11,000 victims per year, representing a significant increase in extortion over a decade.
In 31% of cases, an authority figure or someone posing as one was responsible for the extortion attempts, Coparmex said in the analysis.
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