Criminal Radiography of Morelos: Violence, Insecurity and Active Cartels

Morelos has become one of the most dangerous states to live in Mexico, where, according to the 2025 Peace Index, prepared by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), 90.1% of its inhabitants report feeling unsafe.

Below Guanajuato and Colima, Morelos is currently the most violent state, facing one of the deepest security crises in its recent history.

In recent weeks, murders have been reported in the state, such as that of influencer Camilo Ochoa, known as El Alucín; that of former PRI representative Christian Nava Sánchez; and even that of a criminal linked to Uriel Carmona; cases allegedly linked to organized crime, one of the factors why this state has become so violent.

MILENIO presents a criminal snapshot of the state of Morelos and its most violent municipalities. Learn here which criminal groups operate in the state.

90% of Morelos residents feel unsafe: IEP

According to the IEP report, nine out of 10 people feel unsafe in the state, placing it as the state with the highest perception of insecurity. However, this isn’t the only factor; the numbers support the fears of Morelos residents.

The capital, Cuernavaca, known as “the city of eternal spring,” is currently a hotspot for violence. In 2024, it ranked 12th nationwide, with 226 homicides recorded during the aforementioned year, representing 67.2 murders per 100,000 inhabitants.

Violence has also spread territorially. According to the report, 28 of the state’s 36 municipalities had homicide rates above 50 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants in 2024. Other cities such as Cuautla and Jiutepec appear on the red list.

In terms of disappearances, the state ranks 15th in the country, with a total of 6,357 people reported missing from 2010 to 2024; of which 28.5 percent haven’t been located and 6.4 percent were found dead.

State with deteriorating peace

This crisis doesn’t seem to be so recent, but rather shows a sustained deterioration in its level of peace over the last 10 years.

The report places Colima in first place, with a decline of more than 250% in crimes committed with firearms, violence, and organized crime. However, Morelos, along with Quintana Roo and Nuevo León, also remain at critical levels.

This is no coincidence, as in recent years Morelos has become a disputed territory between several criminal organizations.

Which criminal groups operate in Morelos?

Historically, the Beltrán Leyva Cartel was the most influential criminal organization in the state of Morelos, where they still operate alongside the criminal group led by Fausto Isidro Meza, known as El Chapo Isidro.

Although the Beltrán Leyva Cartel was originally founded in Sinaloa, during its heyday it expanded to as many as 11 states in Mexico, including Morelos, where some branches of this criminal organization settled.

One of them is Los Rojos, a criminal organization linked to the 43 students from Ayotzinapa, Guerrero, who disappeared in 2015, but also to the violence in various municipalities in Morelos, according to an Insight Crime article.

Over the years, Los Rojos have expanded into central and southeastern Mexico, especially in Guerrero. Their influence extends into the states of Morelos, Puebla, and the State of Mexico.

This criminal group is linked to crimes such as extortion, homicide, kidnapping, human trafficking, and forced disappearances in the state. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has also identified them as active in heroin trafficking with ties to the United States.

A drug map prepared by MILENIO shows that the 36 municipalities of Morelos are in dispute with other criminal organizations, such as:

Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG)

Sinaloa Cartel (Los Chapitos)

Los Viagra

Cartel del Sur

La Familia Michoacana (and La Nueva Familia)

Guerreros Unidos (a spin-off of the Beltrán Leyva cartel)

Cartel del Noreste

Los Maya

Los Linos

La Unión Tepito

Recently, the Secretary of Public Security of Morelos, Miguel Ángel Urrutia Lozano, confirmed that nine criminal groups still exist in the state and are being closely monitored. This has led to all of them being targeted by authorities so far, with arrests, searches, and operations.

An investigation by the Autonomous University of the State of Morelos (UAEM) indicates that after the Beltrán Leyva brothers broke away from the Sinaloa Cartel, they formed their own criminal organization, which over the years expanded to several states in the country with the help of other groups.

“The Beltrán Leyva brothers formed alliances with other cartels, including Los Zetas, the Juárez Cartel, and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), in a geographic expansion that included Chiapas, Mexico City, Guerrero, Jalisco, Nuevo León, Quintana Roo, and Tamaulipas. Over time, they moved their headquarters of operations to the capital of Morelos: Cuernavaca,” the UAEM states.

The university’s investigations indicate that after Arturo Beltrán Leyva was killed by federal forces, his cartel began to divide into splinter groups that later led to the formation of Guerreros Unidos and Los Rojos.

Although the Beltrán Leyva Cartel historically controlled the state, the CJNG currently holds the greatest influence in the state, with the support of five groups vying for control of territory in eastern Morelos: Guerreros Unidos, La Familia Michoacana, Los Rojos, Los Tlahuicas, and Los Mayas.

Who Rules Morelos?: Main Criminal Leaders in the State

El Chapo Isidro

The Beltrán Leyva legacy is left in the hands of El Chapo Isidro, a drug lord who formed his own cartel. Although it has greater influence in the Golden Triangle states (Sinaloa, Durango, and Chihuahua) and in Aguascalientes, it also controls some areas of the state of Morelos.

El Chapo Isidro entered the drug trade as a hitman for Amado Carrillo Fuentes, El Señor de los Cielos, leader of the Juárez Cartel. However, after his death in 1997, he was linked to Alfredo Beltrán Leyva, known as El Mochomo, to whom he remained deeply loyal.

When El Mochomo was killed in 2008 after being betrayed by the co-founders of the Sinaloa Cartel, Meza Flores declared war on them, especially on Joaquín Guzmán Loera, known as El Chapo.

During that time, El Chapo Isidro allied himself with the criminal group known as Los Mazatlecos and created criminal cells known as Los Tortilleros, Los H, and La Oficina, all of which were supported by the Beltrán Leyvas. He is currently the leader of the Guasave Cartel.

Fausto Isidro Meza Flores, known as “El Chapo Isidro,” is on the FBI’s list of the ten most wanted fugitives.

El Pez and El Fresa

Other criminal leaders with a presence in Morelos are brothers Johnny and José Alfredo Hurtado Olascoaga, leaders of La Nueva Familia Michoacana, better known as El Pez and El Fresa, respectively.

In 2022, the Ministry of National Defense (Defensa) reported that the bosses had at least 38 top operators responsible for carrying out the group’s criminal activities in different states across the country.

Currently, there is a reward for information leading to the arrest of both criminal leaders: Johnny, El Pez: $5 million, and José Alfredo, El Fresa: $3 million.

The Slain: The Criminal Legacy That Won’t Go Away

In February of this year, the government handed over Omar Cuenca Marino, the alleged leader of the Los Rojos criminal organization, to US authorities. He is accused of conspiring to traffic drugs such as methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and for money laundering.

The accused was responsible for trafficking large quantities of narcotics between 2013 and 2016, overseeing the preparation of hundreds of kilos of cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin, which were then transported to the United States in buses and trailers.

Another criminal leader who left a significant influence in Morelos was Raymundo Isidro Castro Salgado, known as El Ray, a drug trafficker who began in the ranks of Guerreros Unidos but eventually became the leader of the CJNG (CJNG) in the state.

The drug lord was arrested in 2019 in Puebla by the Federal Police’s Investigation Division while traveling in a black armored Mercedes-Benz truck without license plates.

El Ray could be seen in the municipality of Cuautla, Morelos, where he even engaged in an armed confrontation with law enforcement authorities.

Another of the state’s perpetrators of violence targeted by the law was Irving Solano Vera, known as El Profe or El Gato, one of the leaders of the Guerreros Unidos criminal organization.

El Profe was arrested in February 2021, when members of the Federal Ministerial Police (PFM) of the Criminal Investigation Agency (AIC) of the Ministry of National Defense executed a search warrant at a home in the Santa Rosa neighborhood of Cuautla.

El Gato is said to have taken over El Ray’s role in the CJNG organization after his arrest.

The Beltrán Leyva Legacy

The Beltrán Leyva brothers—Arturo, Alfredo, Héctor, and Carlos—started like most first-generation drug traffickers: from the bottom up, linked to small-scale poppy growers in the region.

Investigations by Rubi Martínez for MILENIO indicate that their criminal skills led them to become part of the inner circle of Amado Carrillo Fuentes, known as “El Señor de los Cielos,” for whom they worked as transporters and hitmen.

As the Sinaloa Cartel’s structure consolidated, the Beltrán Leyva brothers became a key faction of the group led by Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.

During this period, they were responsible for trafficking large volumes of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana; they controlled strategic corridors and expanded their activities into kidnapping, extortion, and arms and human trafficking.

The final break came in January 2008, when Alfredo Beltrán Leyva was captured by Mexican authorities. By April of that same year, the brothers had broken away from the Sinaloa Cartel and launched an open war against their former allies.

This conflict not only heightened violence in key states like Morelos, but also sparked a wave of score-settling, internal betrayals, and accelerated fragmentation. The leaders of this organization were:

Alfredo Beltrán Leyva, alias El Mochomo

Arturo Beltrán Leyva, alias El Barbas

Carlos Beltrán Leyva

Héctor Beltrán Leyva, alias El Licenciado or El H

Jesús Alfredo Beltrán Guzmán, El Mochomito

Officials allegedly linked to crime

Authorities Who Have Been Named

Regarding the authorities who have been linked to organized crime in Morelos over the years, some names stand out:

Uriel Carmona and his protégés

Early last month, the murder of Erick “N,” Erick Criminal, was reported. He is one of the main perpetrators of violence in the municipality of Huitzilac. He is believed to be linked to the former head of the State Attorney General’s Office (FGE), Uriel Carmona Gándara.

Erick Criminal was identified by authorities as the main thief of trucks carrying high-value merchandise, operating primarily in Huitzilac, Tres Marías, and the Lagunas de Zempoala area. However, he was also linked to other crimes such as kidnapping and intentional homicide.

Erick ‘N’ rose to prominence in 2023 after being the only person arrested for the robbery, kidnapping, and murder committed against two brothers and a woman, workers at the National Institute of Public Health (INSP).

Following these events, a man named Luis Alberto Ibarra Ramírez, known as El Diablo, reported that under torture and on the orders of then-prosecutor Carmona Gándara, he was forced to incriminate himself for the crime.

Although El Diablo was arrested, he was released days later due to lack of evidence. He also recorded and published a video claiming that Erick ‘N’ was actually a protégé of Carmona, who “solved all his problems” with the law.

It is worth mentioning that Uriel Carmona Gándara was also accused of allegedly embezzling more than 256 million pesos during his tenure in office, which ended with his dismissal in February 2025.

Claudia Sheinbaum herself called Carmona Gándara an obstacle to the pacification of Morelos.

During her tenure as Mexico City mayor, Sheinbaum accused him of covering up the murders of Ariadna Fernanda ‘N’ and of manipulating evidence to prevent the case from being treated as a femicide.

During his administration, Carmona was also accused of allegedly protecting former governor Graco Ramírez and of engaging in a confrontation with former president Cuauhtémoc Blanco, launching investigations against officials close to the latter and even against journalists, whom he is accused of having prosecuted by fabricating crimes.

The former Morelos prosecutor is under investigation for alleged embezzlement of over 256 million pesos.

Cuauhtémoc Blanco Case

Former state governor Cuauhtémoc Blanco, who, although not linked to any criminal organization, was accused of attempted rape.

Blanco stated that the accusation was a revenge and conspiracy between former prosecutor Uriel Carmona Gándara, with whom he had a six-year personal feud, and Nidia Fabiola, who refused to resign from her position as director general of the Ministry of Economy during his administration.

Video of Officials with the Sinaloa Cartel

In February, the head of the Morelos Public Security Secretariat (SSP), Miguel Ángel Urrutia Lozano, denied that a video showing two mayors from the state interacting with an alleged criminal leader was an artificial intelligence production.

The video featured the mayors of Cuautla, Jesús Corona, and Atlatlahucan, Agustín Toledano, alongside a Sinaloa Cartel operative in eastern Morelos, identified as Júpiter Araujo, alias El Barbas.

Urrutia Lozano emphasized that the mayor of Cuautla, Jesús Corona Damián, had only attended 9.7% of the 41 security meetings held in Morelos so far during his six-year term, that is, only four sessions.

Meanwhile, the mayor of Atlatlahucan had attended five meetings, representing 12.19 percent of those at the security meetings.

Finally, Urrutia hinted that the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) is conducting investigations into other mayors, particularly those included on a list circulating in official circles, which singles out municipal administrations in Yecapixtla, Yautepec, Tlaquiltenango, Amacuzac, Temixco, and Emiliano Zapata, among others, for alleged links to crime.

Latest Significant Murders

Iván Morales Corrales

On April 30, 2025, Iván Morales Corrales, a former police officer who survived an attack by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and testified against Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Menchito,” was murdered in the municipality of Temixco along with his wife.

The couple was traveling in a black pickup truck when they were intercepted by another car and several men on motorcycles, who shot and killed them.

In May 2015, Morales Corrales participated in an operation to arrest El Mencho; however, the helicopter he was traveling in was shot down by the CJNG. Amid the explosions, the former agent survived, suffering burns, fractures, and internal injuries.

In December of the same year, former President Enrique Peña Nieto awarded him the First Class Police Merit Award in recognition of his work.

The former federal police officer’s face was disfigured after participating in an operation to arrest El Mencho, the CJNG leader, and he testified at his trial.

Camilo Ochoa, El Alucín

On August 16, influencer Camilo Ochoa, known as El Alucín, was murdered at his home in the Lomas de Cuernavaca neighborhood of Morelos, Temixco.

The influencer, who had hundreds of thousands of followers on social media, was linked to organized crime; he was believed to be a leader for the La Chapiza criminal organization. He had also appeared in reports with other alleged criminal members.

Ochoa gained notoriety after participating in an interview with journalist Adela Micha, in which he discussed his involvement in criminal activities.

Hernán Jesús García Villegas and other political figures

The former candidate for municipal president of Huitzilac, Hernán Jesús García Villegas, was found dead in a ravine with gunshot wounds; the incident occurred on July 31, 2025.

This incident marks the addition of several murders of political and community figures in this municipality so far this year: On April 8, the secretary general of the city council, Alejandro Mancilla Cueto, was murdered in front of the municipal presidency.

A month later, on May 27, his brother Luis Mancilla Cueto, former commissioner of communal property, was gunned down in Coajomulco. Additionally, on January 13, five people were murdered during the election of communal land authorities.

What are the most insecure areas in Morelos?

Investigations by Guillermo Hinojosa for MILENIO indicate that the INEGI (National Institute of Statistics and Geography) reported the perception of insecurity in specific areas; In June 2024, the following were recorded:

67.9% of the population feels unsafe at ATMs on public roads.

62.7% feel unsafe on public transportation.

53.7% feel unsafe on the road.

52.9% feel unsafe at the bank.

The 2024 Envipe (National Police) study showed that in the state, in addition to homicides, robbery or assault on the street or on public transportation also appears among the crimes, with a rate of 8,118 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

The Morelos Crime Stoplight indicates that the following crimes are in the red zone in these municipalities:

Axochiapan: Domestic violence.

Ayala: Drug dealing, extortion, vehicle theft.

Cuautla: Drug dealing, extortion, injuries, and domestic violence.

Cuernavaca: Extortion, burglary, rape, and domestic violence.

Emiliano Zapata: Drug dealing, extortion, vehicle theft, and homicides.

Jiutepec: Drug dealing, extortion, injuries, and rape.

Jojutla: Drug dealing, homicide, burglary, injuries, and domestic violence.

Puente De Ixtla: Drug dealing, burglary, and injuries

Temixco: Homicide, kidnapping, and drug dealing.

Tepoztlán: Homicide, drug dealing, car theft, burglary, business burglary, injuries, and domestic violence.

Tlaquiltenango: Homicide and domestic violence.

Yautepec: Kidnapping, drug dealing, car theft, burglary, rape, and domestic violence.

Yecapixtla: Extortion, drug dealing, burglary, and injuries

Zacatepec: Drug dealing, business burglary, domestic violence, and femicide.

In 2024, Ricardo Torres Carreto reported that more than 500,000 criminal incidents were recorded in the state in 2023, with the metropolitan area reporting the most incidents.

“The most common crimes in Morelos are home burglary, public transportation robbery, armed robbery, vehicle theft, auto parts theft, and extortion,” he noted.

Violence costs a percentage of GDP

However, these crimes haven’t only destroyed the tranquility of Morelos residents; there is a dimension that directly impacts the economic and social development of regions with high rates of violence: the cost of peace.

This refers to the expenditures, both public and private, made to contain, prevent, or respond to violence. It also includes the economic losses resulting from various crimes.

At the national level, according to the IEP report, the economic impact of violence increased for the first time since 2019 in 2024, reaching 4.5 trillion pesos, equivalent to 18 percent of Mexico’s GDP, and in per capita terms, 33,905 pesos.

In this regard, the case of Morelos remains alarming, as it was among the three states where the economic cost of violence was highest. Along with Colima and Guerrero, in Morelos this represented more than 35 percent of the state’s GDP.

Source: Milenio