Four mayors in Mexico have sought federal protection after the brutal beheading of Mayor Alejandro Arcos in the southern state of Guerrero. Arcos, who had been in office for less than a week, was brutally killed, officials said on Tuesday.
The Federal Public Safety Secretary, Omar Garcia Harfuch told the Associated Press that the four mayors, hailing from the states of Guerrero and Guanajuato, both known for their high levels of violence, submitted their requests for protection on Monday, following the discovery of Arcos’ remains.
Guanajuato’s security situation has deteriorated to such an extent that prior to the nation’s elections in June, at least four mayoral candidates were murdered.
Attended private meeting before death
While Garcia Harfuch did not disclose the specific reasons behind the mayors’ requests for protection, he also provided limited information regarding the ongoing investigations into Arcos’ murder, stating only that the late mayor had left his staff to attend a private meeting shortly before his death.
Local reports said that Alejandro Arcos, the newly elected mayor, was decapitated, and his head left on a pick-up truck, though authorities have not officially confirmed this.
Arcos, who had expressed his need for increased security measures to local media outlets, did not submit an official request, according to Garcia Harfuch.
Mayors can receive assistance from state and federal governments in the form of armored vehicles, supplementary security personnel, and emergency alert systems.
Two rival drug organisations, the Ardillos and the Tlacos, hold sway over Chilpancingo, the state capital. In 2023, one of the gangs orchestrated a protest involving hundreds of individuals, seized a government armored vehicle, obstructed a major highway, and held police officers hostage to secure the release of arrested suspects.
Mayors in Mexico are often targeted by gangs and drug cartels as a means to enforce demands for extortion payments, secure government contracts, and ensure the placement of their associates within municipal police forces.
Guerrero state, plagued by cartel violence, recorded 1,890 murders last year. Mexico as a whole has seen over 450,000 killings since the government’s 2006 crackdown on drug cartels.