7 of 10 Killings in Oaxaca’s Isthmus Tied to CJNG-Allied ‘Los Cromos,’ Prosecutor Says, as Juchitán Mayor Miguel Sánchez ‘Quetu’ Faces a Judge — and 6 More Town Officials Are Under Investigation
About 70% of the 957 intentional homicides recorded in Oaxaca’s Isthmus of Tehuantepec over the last four years are linked to Los Cromos, a local gang allied with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), Oaxaca Attorney General Bernardo Rodríguez Alamilla said Monday, Sept. 28, Infobae reported. He also said his office has at least six more open investigations into municipal officials suspected of organized-crime ties, as Juchitán Mayor Miguel Sánchez Altamirano, “Quetu,” was due back in court on Tuesday.
250 arrests in 11 months
The prosecutor spoke at a press conference led by Governor Salomón Jara Cruz. According to Infobae, he said an 11-month intelligence and investigation effort called Operación Sable has led to more than 250 arrests in the Isthmus, including alleged financial operators, relatives and trusted associates of a leader known as “Comandante Cromo.” The state prosecutor’s office (FGEO), the Army, Navy, National Guard and federal Security Ministry (SSPC) take part.
Prosecutors say Los Cromos works as the CJNG’s criminal arm in seven towns: Juchitán de Zaragoza, Tehuantepec, Salina Cruz, Ciudad Ixtepec, El Espinal, Magdalena Tequisistlán and Unión Hidalgo. They link it to drug dealing, extortion, kidnapping, homicide and weapons offenses. “There was a strengthening of this group, but there has also been an erosion” from the arrests, Rodríguez Alamilla said.
Six more cases against local officials
Rodríguez Alamilla said there are “at least six more” investigation files against municipal authorities across Oaxaca’s eight regions. He did not name any mayors, council members or towns, citing due process and the risk of tipping off suspects. He said arrest warrants are sought only once evidence is confirmed and a judge approves them.
Where the Juchitán case stands
Infobae reported that Sánchez Altamirano and co-defendant Carlos Alberto Paz López, “La Parka,” face charges of aggravated extortion and crimes against state security. The mayor is held at the federal Altiplano prison; Paz López was moved to a federal prison in Perote, Veracruz. A judge was set to decide at 11 a.m. on Sept. 29 whether to send them to trial. Former police commissioner Jhon Keni Moreno Segura (spelled “John Keny” in earlier reports) has a hearing on Sept. 30. The prosecutor said the case “remains open” and could lead to more arrests. None of the accused has been convicted.
Sources
- Infobae, “En los últimos cuatro años, 7 de cada 10 homicidios en el Istmo de Tehuantepec estarían ligados a Los Cromos, brazo armado del CJNG,” Sept. 28, 2026.
- Infobae, “Confirma Fiscalía de Oaxaca que existen al menos seis investigaciones en curso contra autoridades municipales por narcovínculos,” Sept. 28, 2026.
- Photos: SSPC, via Infobae (Sept. 23, 2026); SSPC Oaxaca, via Infobae.
Reported Sept. 29, 2026, from Infobae’s accounts of the Oaxaca prosecutor’s statements. The Narco Blog did not independently verify them. The homicide share is the prosecutor’s estimate, and the outcome of the Sept. 29 hearing was not known at the time of writing.