Juchitán mayor arrested in extortion case

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Federal authorities arrest Juchitán mayor in extortion investigation

Federal authorities arrested Miguel Sánchez Altamirano, the Morena mayor of Juchitán de Zaragoza, Oaxaca, along with Carlos Alberto “N,” known as “La Parca,” in an operation involving the Navy, Defense Ministry, National Guard, federal prosecutors and Oaxaca authorities. According to Luces del Siglo, both men had arrest warrants for aggravated extortion and crimes against state security. Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch said investigators link the mayor to a criminal structure allegedly involved in extortion, collection of protection payments from merchants and business owners, retail drug trafficking, human trafficking and homicide. Those claims remain allegations.

The report said the Financial Intelligence Unit also froze resources and blocked accounts connected to the investigation. Local reports placed the operation near the military air base in Ciudad Ixtepec, about 20 kilometers from Juchitán. Luces del Siglo reported that the mayor was being transferred to a naval base before appearing before a judge, although that transfer was described as preliminary.

The case follows a period of heightened security activity in Juchitán. In June 2025, Operation Sable brought 218 municipal police officers in for confidence-control evaluations, while state police, the Defense Ministry, the Navy and the National Guard assumed security duties. The Oaxaca prosecutor’s office later placed Juchitán first in the state for intentional homicide and extortion, second for retail drug trafficking, and fifth among 88 Mexican cities for its homicide rate in January 2026. It also reported that Operation Sable had captured more than 140 people between February 2025 and April 2026; those figures and the alleged links to criminal groups were attributed to authorities and the source report.