Diego Rivera Navarro, mayor of Tequila, Jalisco, was arrested in a federal operation and now faces preventive detention for aggravated kidnapping and organized crime. Authorities accuse him of orchestrating the kidnapping of two precandidates from his own party, Morena, in 2021, to force their resignation. He is also linked to extortion schemes and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
Diego Rivera Navarro, mayor of Tequila, Jalisco, and Morena member, was arrested in the early hours of Thursday, February 5, 2026, during Operation Enjambre, a federal deployment against extortion and corruption in local governments. The operation led to the capture of three other municipal officials: the director of Public Security, Catastro and Property Director Juan Gabriel “N”, and the director of Public Works. Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection Omar García Harfuch announced the arrest on social media.
On Friday, federal judge Mario Elizondo Martínez in Almoloya de Juárez imposed official preventive detention on Rivera Navarro, Municipal Security Commissioner Juan Manuel “N”, and Juan Gabriel “N”, for their probable involvement in organized crime to commit kidnapping. The defense requested to double the constitutional term to prepare their strategy, and the linking-to-process hearing was rescheduled for Tuesday, February 10.
The charges focus on the aggravated kidnapping of two Morena precandidates in March 2021: Guillermo Cordero García and Julio Alejandro García Gutiérrez. According to the Federal Attorney General's Office (FGR), Rivera ordered their illegal deprivation of liberty. Cordero was intercepted at a restaurant on International Highway 604, taken to an empty lot where he was tortured, and then to a home in Obrera 1 neighborhood, where he was beaten and forced to contact his substitute, Gutiérrez, who was also kidnapped and assaulted. Both signed their resignation before the state Electoral Institute and were released in the Infonavit neighborhood, allowing Rivera to secure the candidacy.
Rivera is also under investigation for leading an extortion network targeting beer and tequila companies, charging 'floor rights' from 500 pesos to millions, allegedly for municipal coffers. He is accused of agreeing to pay 40 million pesos annually to the CJNG, which reportedly financed his campaign. His advisor, the city treasurer, acted as a link to criminal groups and is a fugitive. Other involved parties, such as his wife, the director of Registry and Licenses, and the human resources director, have also fled. Commissioner José Manuel “N” carried out kidnappings and collections, while the chief of staff managed illicit funds. Historic center merchants paid between 20,000 and 50,000 pesos monthly; those who refused were kidnapped, some disappeared and possibly murdered.
In May 2025, Rivera was summoned over an event featuring images of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, 'El Mencho', CJNG leader. Analyst Juan Ortiz stated on social media: “Guillermo Cordero García and Julio Alejandro García Gutiérrez were kidnapped by an armed group led by Rivera himself.”
