Enforced Disappearances in Tabasco: The Evidence That Incriminates Hernán Bermúdez Requena

They say that Hernán Bermúdez Requena’s silence finally has an expiration date. After six months in prison without uttering a single word, his formal indictment for the crime of forced disappearance is sinking him in a way he never imagined. 

As far as we have been able to ascertain, conditions are now aligning in Tabasco for Hernán Bermúdez to finally agree to become a cooperating witness for the authorities. The former Secretary of Public Security under Adán Augusto López Hernández knows that a conviction for forced disappearance would condemn him to life imprisonment. 

This marks the first instance during the “Fourth Transformation” (4T) era of a Secretary of Public Security who effectively served as a criminal boss. Thus, this corroborates what has been stated on many occasions: that Hernán Bermúdez is the “García Luna” of the 4T.

It was the relatives of the victim—who remains missing—who gathered the evidence needed to incriminate Adán Augusto López’s protégé. They assert that the victim attended a meeting with Hernán Bermúdez at the Secretariat of Public Security; when he refused to join *La Barredora*—the armed wing of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel—he was never seen again. 

Several police officers, who are now also facing charges of forced disappearance, were present at that meeting. The family began to investigate; they managed to compile evidence—such as video footage—showing the individual leaving the Public Security offices, being followed, and subsequently being made to disappear. 

During Adán Augusto López’s administration in Tabasco, instances of forced disappearance—specifically those involving some form of official authority—began to skyrocket at an alarming rate. As of now, there are no formal charges against the “favorite son of Palenque”; however, everyone in Tabasco knows that Adán Augusto’s “divine protection” also has an expiration date.

Sources: Azteca Noticias, Cartel Insider Archives, Cartel Insider Archives