Tabasco's state prosecutor's office secured a linkage to trial against former Security Secretary Hernán Bermúdez Requena for forced disappearance of persons. The judge ordered pretrial detention and two months for complementary investigation.
On Saturday, a control judge linked Hernán Bermúdez Requena to trial for the crime of forced disappearance, as reported by Tabasco's State General Prosecutor's Office. The General Law on Forced Disappearance sets penalties of 40 to 60 years in prison, increasable by half if the victim is female. As a former public servant, he would face dismissal and disqualification for double the sentence length.
Bermúdez Requena is held in pretrial detention at the Federal Social Readaptation Center No. 1, “El Altiplano”, appearing via videoconference. The judge set two months to conclude the complementary investigation, during which prosecutors will gather further evidence.
The former official, known as “Comandante H” or “El Abuelo” and alleged leader of “La Barredora”, also faces local charges for aggravated kidnapping, extortion, and criminal association from his time heading the SSPC. He was arrested on September 12, 2025, in Paraguay after months as a fugitive.
He served as SSPC head under governors Adán Augusto López Hernández and Carlos Manuel Merino Campos, resigning in January 2024 amid rising violence in Tabasco. State government officials have not ruled out additional arrest warrants in ongoing probes.
