City of Tonalá, Chiapas, February 17. A total of 98 elements of the Tonalá Municipal Police were arrested on suspicion of usurpation of public functions.
According to the State Attorney General's Office (FGE), the officers could not prove their status as police officers by failing to present credentials or official documents, which led to their immediate arrest.
Surprise operation in the Municipal Public Security Secretariat
The arrests occurred in flagrante during a weapon verification and inspection operation within the facilities of the Tonalá Municipal Public Security Secretariat.
The deployment was led by the FGE, in coordination with the National Defense Secretariat (SEDENA) and the Security Secretariat, as part of a strategy to detect irregularities in police corporations.
Links to organized crime
Among the detainees, three police officers face additional charges. According to the Attorney General's Office, these officers were found with firearms, and two of them are under investigation for alleged collaboration with criminal groups.
During the inspection of their cell phones, compromising messages were detected that alerted criminal organizations about the location of checkpoints and security operations.
Ongoing investigation
The State Attorney General's Office reported that the corresponding protocols have been activated to clarify the facts.
A multidisciplinary team is working on the collection of evidence to determine the involvement of the detainees in the crimes they are charged with.
Background: more fake police in Chiapas
This case is not isolated. On January 31, authorities arrested 87 municipal and traffic police officers in Chiapa de Corzo on suspicion of links to criminal groups vying for territorial control in the region.
According to reports from the EFE agency, among the detainees were 66 Municipal Police officers and 20 Traffic elements. All were placed at the disposal of the corresponding authorities.
During that operation, 16 firearms were seized, of which 12 were long and 4 short, highlighting the magnitude of the problem within the security corporations.
Response from the Chiapas government
The Chiapas governor from the Morena party, Eduardo Ramírez, confirmed the execution of these operations through his social media.
He explained that these actions are part of a coordinated strategy among various security forces to combat crime in the region.
He also pointed out that the main objective of these interventions is to dismantle illegal checkpoints set up by criminal groups.
