US Suspends Avocado Inspections in Michoacán for Security Reasons
· Telemundo McAllen (KTLM)
MEXICO CITY — The United States suspended all operations in the western state of Michoacán on Wednesday, including the inspection of avocados for export to the country, "due to a threat against U.S. interests." The embassy did not specify the nature of the threat in its security alert, but Governor Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla stated in a video shared on social media that the temporary halt of U.S. inspections was to safeguard the integrity of its workers following recent arrests related to extortion. Michoacán is the main exporter of avocados to the United States and is also a region with high organized crime activity. At least four cartels operate there, designated as terrorist organizations by the Trump administration, and most are involved in drug production or trafficking while financing themselves through extortion across various economic sectors, including avocado growers. According to Antonio Cruz, the state’s Security Secretary, one of the arrests mentioned by the governor was that of "El Poncho," the alias of Alfonso Fernández Magallón, the leader of the local cartel in the avocado-growing area around Los Reyes. U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson celebrated his capture over the weekend, for which the government had offered a $5 million reward. In previous days, federal forces also captured the leader of a cell from the Jalisco New Generation Cartel in this state. Cruz stated that his department was not aware of any direct incidents involving inspectors, but nonetheless, 300 personnel were deployed in the Los Reyes area as a precaution. The governor added that the important thing at this moment was to "provide the security conditions for these operations to return to normal" as they have in the past.
AI summary · Source: Telemundo McAllen (KTLM) →
