The municipal presidents of Cuautla and Atlatlahucan, Jesús Corona Damián and Agustín Toledano Amaro, respectively, were captured in a meeting with Júpiter Araujo Bernard, alias "El Barbas," alleged operative and leader of the Sinaloa Cartel in Morelos. The video leaked to local media also shows the current secretary of government of the municipality, Víctor Samuel Márquez Vázquez, and Jorge Bazán Reyes, leader of merchants and coordinator of supply plazas.
Criminal law experts point out that the recording could configure the crime of organized crime, as it features long guns, public officials, and the identity of individuals sought by the prosecutorial authority.
When did Jesús Corona Damián become mayor of Cuautla? The mayor of Cuautla was elected last June, by the coalition of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, the Democratic Revolution Party, the National Action Party, and Progressive Social Networks, assuming power on January 1 of this year. According to sources consulted, he is being investigated by the Ministry of National Defense for possible links with criminal organizations such as Los Rojos, Guerreros Unidos, and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
On March 26, 2024, Jesús Corona Damián was unharmed in an assassination attempt when armed individuals shot at his truck as he arrived at his campaign office. His armored vehicle withstood the shots. Seven months later, on October 12 of the same year, his substitute Ricardo Arizmendi was murdered while attending to his grocery store in the 12 de Octubre Commercial Plaza.
On the other hand, Víctor Samuel Márquez Vázquez, president of the Central Supply of Cuautla (CEDAC), attended the swearing-in ceremony of the elected mayor Jesús Corona Damián, along with Dr. Horacio Zavaleta, leader of the General Union of Workers and Peasants of the State of Mexico "Lázaro Cárdenas." Authorities who preferred to remain anonymous confirmed to El Financiero the identity of the individuals present in the video.
