During a two-day Michoacán tour, officials reported 1,342 arrests for high-impact crimes since October 2024 and 10,000 troops now deployed in the state.

This article by Néstor Jiménez originally appeared in the July 3, 2026 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper.

Morelia, Michoacán. At the start of a two-day working tour that President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo is leading in Michoacán, federal authorities stated this Friday that there is a 46 percent reduction in the daily average of intentional homicides compared to January 2025, and it was reported that from October 1, 2024 to last June 15, 1,342 people have been detained for high-impact crimes.

“The main objective is to eradicate extortion in the state,” the president emphasized, saying it is the population’s foremost request. “The instruction I have given is that we concentrate on eradicating this crime.”

At the presidential morning press conference, which this Friday is held from the Michoacán capital, the president was accompanied by the governor of Michoacán, Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla, as well as the heads of the Secretariats of National Defense (Sedena), the Navy, Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), and the Interior. Also attending were the heads of the Secretariats of Welfare; of Science, Humanities, Technology and Innovation (Secihti); of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (SICT), of the National Water Commission (Conagua), as well as of Agriculture, among others.

The head of the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System, Marcela Figueroa Franco, reported that there is a 46 percent reduction in the daily average of intentional homicides compared to January 2025. The daily average dropped from 4.32 to 2.33 from January 2025 to last June. Comparing the month of June across recent years, she stressed that this year’s is the lowest in that category since 2015.

Meanwhile, presenting the annual daily average of intentional homicides, she said there is a preliminary reduction of 37 percent. She explained that there was an increase from 2015 to 2021, the year in which a downward trend began, and preliminarily it is projected that 2026 will be the lowest since 2025. Regarding the daily average of high-impact crimes, there is a 3 percent reduction between 2025 and 2026. If the trend holds, it will be the lowest average in the last eleven years, she added.

For his part, the head of the SSPC, Omar García Harfuch, noted that “to reinforce institutional presence, strengthen local capacities, and give priority attention to the crimes that most affect families, businesses, and the state’s productive sectors, such as the crime of extortion, since the beginning of this administration the security of Michoacán has been a priority for the government of Mexico.”

The coordination has had as its axes achieving a greater territorial presence, as well as intelligence and investigation actions to detain generators of violence and extortionists. He reported that from October 1, 2024 to June 15, 2026, 1,342 people have been detained for high-impact crimes; 1,398 firearms, more than 215,000 cartridges, and 6,600 magazines were seized. More than 35 tons of drugs have been secured and 30 clandestine laboratories have been destroyed and disabled, as a result of the joint work of Sedena, the Navy, the National Guard, the Attorney General’s Office of the Republic, the National Intelligence Center, and the SSPC, in coordination with the State Attorney General’s Office and the Michoacán Secretariat of Public Security.

In recent weeks, he added, authorities have carried out high-impact actions to detain generators of violence. He highlighted that in Morelia, federal and state agents conducted raids in which “two important extortionists” were detained, namely Ernesto Rafael “N” and Alfredo “N,” known as Sierra 1 and El Sierra 2, respectively. Also detained was Oscar N, “el Pelón,” operational chief of Los Caballeros Templarios. In four separate operations, six people responsible for extortion were detained, who committed those crimes in the timber, resin, and avocado sectors. 200,000 pesos in cash and a vehicle were seized. Also, in 16 relevant operational actions in the last month, 246 explosive devices, various weapons, and 17,622 cartridges were seized.

“These results do not mean that the task is finished or that crimes have stopped being committed; on the contrary, the president’s instruction is to redouble efforts,” he added.

For his part, the head of Sedena reported that 10,000 members of the Army and the National Guard have been deployed in the state, as well as support from the Air Force with three helicopters, drones, and equipment for locating mines.

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