The Secretary of Public Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, announced the arrest of Leonardo Arturo “N”, former director of the State Police of Tabasco in 2021, who was identified as a member of the criminal group “La Barredora”. According to the secretary, the detainee was involved in extorting merchants, kidnappings, drug sales, and homicides—reportedly from within the police force, under the command of Hernán Bermúdez Requena. García Harfuch highlighted that the former Tabasco official was arrested in Chiapas, with the operation involving elements of the Immediate Reaction Force Pakal, the Attorney General's Office of Chiapas, and that of Tabasco. After thanking the governor of Chiapas, Eduardo Ramírez, and the FRIP, he assured that this will decrease violence in the region. “This arrest will help to reduce violence in the entity,” he stated in his press release, mentioning the participation of other law enforcement agencies. Leonardo Arturo Leyva Ávalos served as the general director of the State Police of Tabasco between February and August 2021, during the six-year term of Adán Augusto López Hernández. In videos released by the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection, the official appeared to be giving advice to citizens on how to respond to extortion calls. In these materials, Leyva Ávalos presented himself as an official responsible for protecting the people of Tabasco, saying at the end, “Protecting is our duty.” The gravity of the case lies in the fact that while he was promoting security measures, he is now identified as one of the leaders of the criminal group “La Barredora,” responsible for extortions, kidnappings, drug trafficking, and homicides, operating from within the very police force he led.
