Overview

• A federal arrest warrant issued in February 2025 and an Interpol Red Notice target Hernán Bermúdez Requena for association delictuosa, extortion and kidnapping.
• Security forces have detained at least nine La Barredora affiliates, including key operators known as El Guasón and Zavala, under ongoing federal–state collaboration.
• President Claudia Sheinbaum has insisted that only judicial authorities will determine guilt in the La Barredora investigation and called for complete transparency from all officials.
• Senators from the PRI and Morena are clashing over whether Adán Augusto López Hernández was negligent or complicit when he appointed Bermúdez as Tabasco’s security chief.
• The scandal highlights past vetting failures in Mexico’s security sector and poses a test to Morena’s unity and Sheinbaum’s anti-impunity agenda ahead of crucial legislative negotiations.