Quintana Roo attorney general resigns; new public security chief named

The attorney general of Quintana Roo resigned yesterday a day after the state’s secretary of public security also quit his post.

The resignation of the former, Miguel Ángel Pech, had been expected since his last appearance in state Congress when he said the Attorney General’s office (FGE) was incapable of confronting organized crime and investigating homicides.

Violent crime has plagued parts of Quintana Roo in recent years, especially the state’s largest tourism destination, Cancún.

The newspaper Reforma revealed in August that in a private meeting with state lawmakers, Pech said the FGE lacked qualified police, specialized equipment and resources to tackle crime in the state.

“Every prosecutor has to attend to up to 800 cases. We have 60 positions available for state police but there are no trained personnel to occupy the positions,” Pech said, according to sources who spoke to Reforma.

Even if those positions were filled, the state still wouldn’t have enough police, he reportedly added. “It’s a complex situation.”

Quintana Roo Governor Carlos Joaquín González has named Gustavo Salas Salgado as interim attorney general until a permanent replacement is found.

It’s been a busy week for Joaquín, who confirmed Wednesday that public security secretary Rodolfo del Ángel Campos had resigned.

In his place, the governor appointed Alberto Capella Ibarra, a former police chief of Tijuana and until September 14, security commissioner in the state of Morelos.

Joaquín praised the work of del Ángel, stating that after receiving a “dismantled and demoralized police force” from former governor Roberto Borge, he is leaving his successor a “trustworthy” force with better-paid and better-equipped officers.

Capella, nicknamed “el rambo tijuanense” (Rambo from Tijuana) has been a controversial figure, with critics questioning the security strategies he has adopted and pointing out that when he was in charge of security in Tijuana, homicide rates went up.

Source: Reforma (sp), El Universal (sp) 

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
Chilangos stop at a snack stand near Paseo de la Reforma in Mexico City.

Mexico’s week in review: US suspends avocado certs, fracking studies continue and Peru rift ends

0
From a U.S. ban on Michoacán avocados to a diplomatic thaw with Peru, the first week of August covered a lot of ground — and a fracking decision still hanging in the balance.
Sargassum piles up on the shores of Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo.

Seaweed diplomacy: Mexico and Japan to tackle sargassum crisis in new joint program

1
Mexico and Japan are teaming up to fight the sargassum invasion choking Caribbean beaches — deploying robotics, satellite monitoring and new tech to turn seaweed into opportunity.

Former governor of Guerrero arrested on Ayotzinapa-related charges

4
Ángel Aguirre was governor during the 2014 kidnapping and presumed murder of 43 students from the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers College that sparked international outrage. He is accused, among other things, of concealing evidence.
BETA Version - Powered by Perplexity