Paraguayan prosecutors arrested Hernán Bermúdez Requena, also called “El Abuelo,” on September 12, 2025, in Mariano Roque Alonso.
Authorities say he’s the suspected chief of “La Barredora,” a prison group working with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one among Mexico’s strongest drug cartels. Officials coordinated the high-profile seize with Mexican intelligence and anti-drug businesses.
Bermúdez, a former Secretary of Security for Tabasco, faces accusations of directing a part of CJNG’s worldwide operations. Mexican courts and Interpol issued a purple discover that triggered his arrest.
He had moved throughout a number of South and Central American international locations earlier than settling in Paraguay, the place authorities found his well-guarded dwelling.
During the arrest, Bermúdez rejected voluntary extradition, so he now stays beneath strict pre-trial detention in Paraguay because the 60-day extradition course of to Mexico begins.
This case reveals how cartels use South America not only for drug routes, but in addition as a secure zone for operators on the run.
Paraguay’s position as a passage between Brazil and Argentina makes it a high goal for prison networks searching for to keep away from regulation enforcement.
The arrest additionally highlights what occurs when regulation enforcement and governments within the area work collectively.
Presidents and prosecutors in each international locations made public statements emphasizing their zero-tolerance strategy to organized crime.
Paraguay Arrests Top Mexican Jalisco Cartel Leader, Reveals Expanding Drug Routes
The story behind the headlines is about a lot multiple arrest. Bermúdez’s trajectory from a senior police position to alleged cartel chief reveals the deep ties organized crime can type inside authorities ranks.
Business leaders and extraordinary folks throughout Latin America watch circumstances like this with concern, since they have an effect on each the financial atmosphere and every day security.
The sustained presence of high-level cartel operatives in new international locations can destabilize native markets, improve corruption threat, and threaten worldwide funding.
Paraguayan and Mexican authorities grounded this info in press conferences and judicial paperwork issued after September 12, 2025.
All bulletins got here from official sources. The story factors to a brand new stage of intergovernmental motion in opposition to transnational crime, confirming that even high-profile fugitives will face justice.
