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.
Armenia’s national aspirations must be contained within its internationally recognised borders, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan ...
U.S. President Donald Trump has predicted a breakthrough in efforts to end the war in Ukraine after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin’...
Democrats' sweeping victory in the U.S. midterm elections has sent technology stocks plunging, as investors fear tougher AI regulations could s...
Romanian authorities said late on Thursday that two additional planes had received bomb threats including a KLM flight to Tel Aviv that had a layover in Bucharest.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance has blamed the war with Iran for the Republicans' defeat in the 2026 midterm elections, arguing that voters who supported President Donald Trump in 2024 turned to the Democrats because of foreign policy and economic concerns.
The war between Russia and Ukraine continued to claim civilian lives this week even as diplomatic activity intensified ahead of planned peace discussions in Abu Dhabi.
As oil prices surge amid conflict in the Gulf, energy leaders at ADIPEC in Abu Dhabi are confronting two major challenges: securing global supplies and meeting soaring electricity demand from artificial intelligence.
A British healthcare worker who contracted Ebola while working in the Democratic Republic of Congo is being transferred to the United Kingdom for specialist medical care, according to British authorities.
U.S. President Donald Trump has predicted a breakthrough in efforts to end the war in Ukraine after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, ahead of U.S.-mediated peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv in Abu Dhabi on 10-11 November.
Democrats' sweeping victory in the U.S. midterm elections has sent technology stocks plunging, as investors fear tougher AI regulations could slow infrastructure development and threaten the boom that has driven market gains this year.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has vowed to fight attempts to impeach him, dismissing the growing campaign against him as politically motivated amid mounting criticism of his handling of the war in Iran.
Russia and Iran have signed new documents to allow engineering surveys along the full route of the Rasht-Astara railway, a long-delayed link between the two countries’ rail networks.
Romanian authorities said late on Thursday that two additional planes had received bomb threats including a KLM flight to Tel Aviv that had a layover in Bucharest.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment