Mexican federal officers detained Mayor Diego Rivera on Thursday during coordinated raids that also led to the arrest of the municipality’s security director and the heads of public works and the land registry.
Security Minister Omar Garcia Harfuch said the group ran a corruption scheme that targeted beer and tequila producers in Tequila, birthplace of the agave spirit and centre of a multi-billion-dollar industry.
Investigators said in December that Becle, the world’s largest tequila producer and owner of the Jose Cuervo label, had been among the companies affected.
The firm accused the mayor’s administration of imposing property taxes at up to 20 times the legal rate and issuing a fine exceeding 60 million pesos while withholding permits and attempting to close one of its plants.
State officials intervened, and the governor said at least 10 companies had filed complaints.
Becle did not immediately respond to requests for comment, while the Tequila Regulatory Council said it had no position on the case.
Officials allege Rivera’s network not only extorted businesses but also diverted public funds and collaborated with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, described by authorities as one of the most powerful and violent criminal organisations in the country.
Rivera had previously drawn scrutiny after images of the cartel’s fugitive leader, Nemesio Oseguera, known as “El Mencho”, were projected during a local concert.
An Iranian tanker was hit by U.S. forces on Saturday near Iran's key oil export hub, Kharg Island, in the Gulf...
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Moscow for peace talks on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, two people familiar wi...
Spanish authorities are preparing a new site in Ceuta to accommodate hundreds of migrants who remain on the str...
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Russia then Ukraine over the weekend, Russian state news agency TASS has reported, citing an unnamed source. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also said American envoys will visit the capitals of both countries.
The Iranian Health Ministry said at least 18 people were killed and 142 others injured in U.S. airstrikes carried out between 30 August and 2 September.
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Moscow for peace talks on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, two people familiar with the matter said. They were met by Russian Presidential Envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
U.S. efforts to squeeze Iran’s economy through an oil blockade and sanctions are becoming increasingly difficult for Tehran to withstand, according to three senior Iranian sources. Washington is escalating pressure in hopes of securing concessions in future negotiations.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 4th of September, covering the latest developments.
A Chinese national was pulled alive from a tunnel in Nepal on Saturday, authorities said, 10 days after a wall of ice, rock and mud tore through a Himalayan valley, killing more than 1,300 people and leaving more than 5,600 missing.
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Moscow for peace talks on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, two people familiar with the matter said. They were met by Russian Presidential Envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
Spanish authorities are preparing a new site in Ceuta to accommodate hundreds of migrants who remain on the streets following large-scale arrivals in July, local media reported Saturday.
At least two people were killed and dozens injured on Friday after an explosion at a military barracks in the Bolivian municipality of Viacha, about 30 km (20 miles) from La Paz, Defence Minister Ernesto Justiniano said.
The resolution, sponsored by African countries and led by Togo, passed by 164 votes to one, with six abstentions. The United States was the only country to vote against it.
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