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.
A cordoned-off home with palm trees in the hills of Nayarit

Searching mothers help uncover alleged ‘extermination center’ in Nayarit

0
Authorities found charred remains and a makeshift burner at a property near Tepic, but have not said how many people were killed or which group is responsible.
Toluca playground

How Toluca is turning tree trunks and old tires into playgrounds

0
It may sound like an avant-garde art installation — and perhaps it is that as well — but the initiative is practical, economical, environmentally sound and fun. And it's catching on elsewhere.
Satellite image showing Hurricane Isaias in the Gulf of Mexico and Tropical Storm Simon off the Pacific coast of Guerrero in Mexico, 10am central time on Oct. 8

Isaias becomes first Atlantic hurricane of 2026, as Simon threatens Pacific coast

1
As Hurricane Isaias brings heavy rain to Mexico's Gulf states, Simon is expected to become the 11th Pacific hurricane of the 2026 sometime on Thursday.
BETA Version - Powered by Perplexity