**Top Security Official in Chilpancingo Detained for Mayor’s Homicide, Former Vice Prosecutor**
On November 12, 2024, the state prosecutor’s office in Guerrero, Mexico, announced the arrest of Germán Reyes Reyes, acting head of Chilpancingo’s Public Security Department. Reyes is accused of involvement in the murder of Alejandro Arcos Catalán, the mayor of Chilpancingo, who was brutally killed on October 6, 2024.
The Guerrero State Prosecutor’s Office, in cooperation with the Mexican Army and National Guard, executed an arrest warrant for Germán Reyes for aggravated homicide. The warrant was issued by a Control Judge in Chilpancingo. Reyes previously held the position of fiscal for serious offenses and had once served under military lieutenant Sandra Luz Valdovinos Salmerón, who was dismissed from her post by the local Congress in March 2024.
Earlier, Federal Security Secretary Omar Hamid García Harfuch disclosed that a criminal group known as Los Ardillos has been linked to both the mayor’s assassination and the execution of 11 individuals found in a vehicle in Chilpancingo. These individuals were allegedly mistaken for members of a rival criminal group.
Security measures across Guerrero have been ramped up, with over 12,675 federal forces deployed in three regions, including Tecpan and Quechultenango, as well as Acapulco, in cooperation with the Navy. Authorities have also reported the destruction of numerous drug plantations and seizures of large quantities of illegal substances and weapons.
Following the assassination, Gustavo Alarcón Herrera was sworn in as the new mayor of Chilpancingo on October 10, 2024. The previous mayor, Arcos Catalán, was serving less than a week in office before his assassination. He had won the election representing a coalition of the National Action Party (PAN), Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), and the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD).
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**Secondary Article: Increase in Violence in Guerrero Amidst Political Turmoil**
Amidst a wave of political violence in Guerrero, reports have surfaced highlighting a pattern of targeted killings of public officials. Alongside the tragic death of Mayor Alejandro Arcos Catalán, the Secretary General of Chilpancingo, Francisco Tapia, was also assassinated shortly after assuming office. These incidents underscore a growing concern over the infiltration of organized crime in politically sensitive regions.
Local media have suggested a link between these attacks and the escalating territorial disputes among criminal groups. The federal government has responded by increasing military presence in the state to restore order and safeguard local communities. The sprawling operation led by the military has seen several successes in curtailing the illegal drug trade, a key factor fueling the current violence.
The political landscape remains tense as officials call for federal intervention to lead the investigations into these high-profile murders. There is a mounting demand for a concerted effort to dismantle the networks of crime that have entrenched themselves in the fabric of local governance, threatening not only political stability but also the safety and prosperity of the residents of Guerrero.