A Mexican town’s entire municipal police force has been put under arrest on suspicion of hindering an investigation into the murder of a mayoral candidate.
All 27 officers in the rural town of Ocampo, in Michoacan state, were stripped of their weapons and taken in for questioning by state police over the weekend, Mexican news site Sin Embargo reports.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Officials from the government’s ministry of public security arrived in Ocampo on Saturday to detain municipal public security chief Oscar Gonzalez on suspicion of being complicit in the assassination - only to be blocked by local police.
After a “tense” stand-off, federal officials “decided to avoid a possible confrontation”, says Sin Embargo, and left without arresting their target.
However, in an early morning raid on Sunday, state police arrested Gonzalez and the 27 officers under his command. They are now being investigated on suspicion of violating the police code of conduct.
The bizarre incident is part of a wider tide of intimidation and violence in the run-up to the country’s presidential and local elections this Sunday.
Dozens of candidates have been murdered over the past three months by criminal gangs, often with the complicity of local law enforcement.
Electoral corruption and violence may have become depressingly commonplace, but “the fact that an entire municipal police force is being questioned for its potential links to a candidature killing is nearly unprecedented,” says Telesur.
State police officers have been assigned to protect the town’s 24,000 residents while the investigation takes place.
-
Hegseth’s Signal chat put troops in peril, probe findsSpeed Read The defense secretary risked the lives of military personnel and violated Pentagon rules, says new report
-
Texas is trying to become America’s next financial hubIn the Spotlight The Lone Star State could soon have three major stock exchanges
-
Trump pardons Texas Democratic congressmanspeed read Rep. Henry Cuellar was charged with accepting foreign bribes tied to Azerbaijan and Mexico
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison
-
Americans traveling abroad face renewed criticism in the Trump eraThe Explainer Some of Trump’s behavior has Americans being questioned
-
Claudia Sheinbaum and Mexico’s sexual harassment problemUnder the Radar Claudia Sheinbaum vows action against sexual harassment after viral incident, but machismo and violence against women remains deeply ingrained
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
-
What is Donald Trump planning in Latin America?Today’s Big Question US ramps up feud with Colombia over drug trade, while deploying military in the Caribbean to attack ships and increase tensions with Venezuela
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
