Overview
- Leonardo Arturo Leyva Ávalos, known as “El Carnal” and a former director of Tabasco’s state police, was detained Wednesday in Tuxtla Gutiérrez and turned over to prosecutors.
- Mexico’s Security Cabinet said the arrest was carried out by SEDENA, SEMAR, SSPC, FGR and the National Guard in coordination with the security and prosecutorial agencies of Tabasco and Chiapas.
- Federal security chief Omar García Harfuch stated that Leyva is linked to a criminal group tied to extortion of merchants, kidnapping, drug sales and homicides in Tabasco, noting he held the police post in 2021.
- Military intelligence and leaked emails previously identified Leyva as a lieutenant to Hernán Bermúdez in the CJNG‑aligned group “La Barredora,” with reports describing prison‑control tasks such as relaying lists of inmates for punishment.
- In a parallel case, the FGR secured a pretrial linkage to process for Víctor Gabriel “N,” identified as a member of La Barredora, on aggravated firearms and explosives charges with mandatory pretrial detention and a two‑month deadline for additional investigation.