Mexican Mayor Decapitated Week After Undertaking Office; Drug Cartels Involvement Alleged

Mexico City: Officials have confirmed that the new mayor of a state capital in southern Mexico, Mayor Alejandro Arcos, was killed just one week after assuming office. The announcement follows allegations on social platforms that the severed head of Alejandro Arcos, who took office as mayor of Chilpancingo last Monday, was found on a vehicle in the road.

In 2023, Chilpancingo experienced extreme violence when a drug gang held a public protest, seized a government vehicle, and abducted law enforcement officers to free detained individuals.

Chilpancingo is the capital of Guerrero State, home to Acapulco. The state prosecutors' office released a statement on Sunday verifying that Arcos had been murdered, but did not give any specifics.

The confirmation was made official following the circulation of photos on WhatsApp showing a severed head on a pickup truck, believed to be Arcos. The validity of the photos could not be confirmed by a third party.

Alejandro Moreno, the leader of the PRI party, expressed sorrow over Arcos' death and noted that the recently appointed city council secretary had been killed three days prior.

“They had been in office less than a week,” Moreno wrote on his social media accounts. “They were young and honest public servants who were seeking progress for their community.”

For a while now, Chilpancingo has been the site of violent turf wars between two rival drug cartels, the Ardillos and the Tlacos. The fight has led to many brutal deaths and a few notable controversies.

A former mayor was recorded allegedly having a meeting with members of a gang at a restaurant. She was later kicked out of her party.

Federal officials stated in July 2023 that a protest in Chilpancingo, organised by the Ardillos gang, was aimed at securing the release of two gang leaders detained for drug and weapon charges.

The protesters obstructed traffic on the highway from Mexico City to Acapulco for two days, clashed with security forces, and took control of a police armoured vehicle to break through the gates of the state legislature building.

The protesters kidnapped 10 state police and National Guard members, along with three state and federal officials, and kept them as hostages to pressure authorities into meeting their demands before ultimately letting them go.

Less than a week after being sworn in as Mexico's first female president, Sheinbaum is anticipated to introduce a policy focused on restoring law and order in the most dangerous areas affected by violence related to drug cartels and organised crime.

The initial stage of Sheinbaum's strategy focusses on decreasing homicides and major crimes in 10 specific zones, which account for at least 25% of organised crime-related killings, such as Colima, Tijuana, Acapulco, and Celaya, as revealed by an anonymous member of Sheinbaum's security team.

In her usual morning press briefing on Monday, Sheinbaum stated that the killing of Arcos was being looked into to determine the reason behind it and to apprehend those responsible. She stated that her security strategy would involve improved cooperation with state governors and attorneys general offices. She mentioned that deploying the National Guard to the area was an option.

Mexico is known for being extremely dangerous for politicians and government officials, who are frequently attacked by organised criminal groups. The most recent elections in the country, where Sheinbaum emerged victorious, were the deadliest in modern history, with 37 candidates killed before the June 2 election, some in bold displays of public violence.

Arrests and successful prosecutions are uncommon in Mexico for these killings, as well as for most other homicides.

“There’s an issue with impunity in Mexico, and until that goes away, until those institutions are stronger, you’re just not going to be able to guarantee safety of candidates,” said Mike Ballard, director of intelligence at international security firm Global Guardian.

Ballard said Mexico's new government must take action to detain and bring to justice more leaders of cartels in order to effectively weaken their influence. He indicated the decline of the U.S. mafia due to numerous arrests, convictions, and long prison terms during the 1980s and 1990s.