Governor Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla appointed Ramsés Adalid Vega Sayabedra as subsecretary of police operations in Michoacán, despite his 2017 arrest for alleged document forgery and drug possession. The appointment is part of the Plan Michoacán for Peace and Justice to combat cartels. Officials state he passed required trust examinations.
On November 16, as part of the Plan Michoacán for Peace and Justice, Governor Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla appointed Ramsés Adalid Vega Sayabedra as subsecretary of police operations in Michoacán's Public Security Secretariat. On the same day, José Antonio Cruz Medina was named the new security secretary. The aim is to strengthen territorial security strategy, enhance institutional presence, and coordinate with federal agencies, particularly in areas like the lake region and Tierra Caliente, where organized crime operates, including a recent operation to capture 'El Camaleón,' an alleged CJNG regional leader.
However, the appointment sparks controversy due to Vega Sayabedra's past. In April 2017, he was arrested in Morelia, in the Valle de los Sauces neighborhood, during a vehicle inspection by Michoacán's General Prosecutor's Office. Authorities seized 420 fake driver's license credentials, 96 circulation cards, 37 vehicle plates, forgery equipment such as printers and special paper, and a load of marijuana. Although the case was publicized on institutional social media, it was not prosecuted due to insufficient evidence, so he has no criminal record. Later, the Michoacán Prosecutor's Office deleted the related posts.
Vega Sayabedra has prior experience as director general of Michoacán's Auxiliary Police and as an instructor in police academies in Guanajuato. He holds a law degree from the Instituto de Estudios Superiores en Ciencias de la Administración (INACE) and served seven years in the Mexican Army.
Addressing criticisms, Ramírez Bedolla defended the appointment: “All command positions undergo a C3 trust exam to certify exactly that, the control of trust exam to enter or hold any position in public security and justice prosecution. So there is always some kind of comment and we check it, of course, yes we saw it.” The changes follow a meeting between the governor, mayors, and federal Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch to define the security strategy promoted by President Claudia Sheinbaum.