Seven municipal police officers from Uruapan, escorts of Mayor Carlos Manzo, were detained for alleged omission in his homicide on November 1. Authorities also arrested Jorge Armando 'N', alias 'El Licenciado', the presumed intellectual author of the crime ordered by 'El R1' of the CJNG. The case uncovers possible ties to organized crime in Michoacán.
On November 1, 2025, during the Festival de Velas in Uruapan, Michoacán, Mayor Carlos Alberto Manzo Rodríguez was assassinated in a shooting attack amid Day of the Dead celebrations. Víctor Manuel 'N', 17 years old and recruited by the CJNG, was the direct aggressor and neutralized at the scene. Fernando Josué 'N' and Ramiro 'N' provided surveillance and logistics support but were found dead on November 10, possibly to halt the investigation.
The Michoacán State General Prosecutor's Office (FGE) arrested Jorge Armando 'N', 'El Licenciado', on the night of Thursday, November 20, as the presumed intellectual author. According to the FGE, evidence directly links him to the planning, including precise instructions on the mayor's movements and the attack's execution. 'El Licenciado' acted under orders from Ramón Ángel Álvarez Ayala, 'El R1', leader of a CJNG cell in Michoacán. Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch confirmed 'El R1' ordered the killing and that 'El Licenciado' pressured to shoot even with Manzo accompanied.
On Friday, November 21, in a joint operation with the National Guard, Army, and Navy Secretariat, seven municipal police officers, Manzo's escorts, were arrested at the Casa de la Cultura in Uruapan. Accused of omission in the qualified homicide, they were transferred to Morelia for questioning. Suspicions arose because they asked Manzo to return to the attack site three times for photos, and they fired after neutralizing the shooter, per Governor Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla. Manzo's brother, Juan Manzo, questioned their actions, noting an ineffective perimeter of 26 escorts.
'There was a step-by-step coordination of the criminal operation', the FGE stated. The case, tied to the CJNG, may be retaliation for 'El Rino's' August arrest. Manzo had denounced violence in Tierra Caliente. His widow, Grecia Quiroz, now mayor, receives federal protection. The FGE pledges full clarification through inter-agency coordination.
