Tequila Mayor Arrested After Cuervo Reported Extortion Demand of 60 Million Pesos

Tequila, Mexico — Federal agents and military personnel arrested Tequila Mayor Diego Rivera Navarro on Tuesday, following allegations that he demanded a 60 million peso bribe from the tequila producer Cuervo to avoid business shutdowns.

The arrest came as part of Operation Enjambre, a federal anti-corruption initiative, according to Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch. Authorities allege Rivera Navarro led a corruption network within the Tequila municipal government that extorted local businesses and diverted public funds. He is also suspected of ties to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

Cuervo had previously reported the extortion attempt to Jalisco state prosecutors. At a December press conference, Jalisco Attorney General Salvador González de los Santos described the mayor’s demands as excessive and akin to extortion.

“It seemed like extortion,” González de los Santos said, noting that officials were demanding permits they had not issued. “They are requiring the company to show permits when they haven’t given them, perhaps not because of the company’s issues, but because of the municipality itself.”

The attorney general said his office opened an investigation into Rivera Navarro and other municipal officials involved in business inspections.

Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus deployed 50 state police officers to Tequila to ensure security and announced that a decision on whether to take control of the municipal police force would be made by Wednesday.

“We will protect the families of Tequila so they feel safe and calm,” Lemus said. “We will make a joint decision with the federal Security Department about what to do with the municipal police station—whether it will continue under municipal command or be taken over by the state government.”

Federal authorities also noted that Rivera Navarro had been summoned to testify in May 2025 regarding a municipal event where images of CJNG leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias “El Mencho,” were displayed.