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Aide to Slain Uruapan Mayor Freed After Questioning as Two More Suspects Are Arrested

Officials cite encrypted‑messaging evidence pointing to a leak from the mayor’s circle, exposing inconsistent public records on legal status.

Overview

  • The Michoacán prosecutor’s office said Yesenia Méndez and municipal aide Samuel García were required to testify and were released after giving statements.
  • National detention records still list both as detained by federal and state agents outside Uruapan’s Casa de la Cultura on Jan. 8, a discrepancy that remains unexplained.
  • Security chief Omar García Harfuch reported two new arrests between Jan. 9 and 10—Samuel “N” and Josué “N” (“El Viejito”)—who allegedly relayed the mayor’s itinerary on the day of the attack.
  • Investigators say chats on the encrypted app Threema, recovered from seized phones, indicate an information leak from the mayor’s inner circle to CJNG operatives who coordinated the plot.
  • Carlos Manzo was killed on Nov. 1 during the Festival de las Velas; earlier operations have detained multiple suspects, including alleged coordinator Jorge Armando “N” (“El Licenciado”), while the mayor’s escort chief remains at large.