The Governor of Michoacán assured that the investigation is advancing with the support of federal authorities and intelligence teams.
Mexico City, November 16 (However).- The Governor of Michoacan, Alfredo Ramirez Bedollaassured this Sunday that the investigation for him murder of the Mayor of Uruapan, Carlos Manzomust go “to the last consequences”, regardless of the filiation policy of those responsible.
In interview with Los Journaliststransmitted by Canal Once and driven by Alejandro Páez Varela y Alvaro Delgadothe state president affirmed that the case reveals the urgency of breaking any link between crime organized and political structures in the state.
Bedolla explained that the State Attorney General’s Office (FGE) of Michoacán It works with the support of intelligence teams from the federal government to identify those materially and intellectually responsible for the crime, and announced that this week new expert advances and findings could be presented regarding the operation of the group that participated in the murder of the Mayor of Uruapan.
The conversation turned to the topic of narcopolitics when Álvaro Delgado directly asked how widespread it is in Michoacán. The Governor responded that it is a phenomenon with a real presence and with various forms of infiltration in city councils and local structures.
“There are several types of cases: presidents who are threatened, others who fell into the temptation of negotiating, or even those who are placed by organized crime. This happens like in other parts of the country, and what we must take care of is that politics is not linked to the economy or to crime.”
The Michoacan Governor also warned that criminal organizations seek to influence where they can, without distinguishing territories or parties.
“Regardless of the party. Organized crime does not respect borders. In other words, it does not know where Guanajuato, Michoacán is. They do not say, here yes and here no. Nor does the issue of political parties. I think it is an issue where, like crime, they try to influence any area. Regardless of what municipality, what territory it is. Or what state it is,” he said.
Regarding the progress of the case, Ramírez Bedolla explained that the Prosecutor’s Office does not work alone, but in coordination with the federal Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection, with technological and intelligence support. He announced that this week new findings, expert evidence and updates on the intellectual actors behind the homicide could be released.
Likewise, he specified that on the same day of the crime, the alleged perpetrator, a 17-year-old young man, was killed, while two other companions were later murdered by the criminal group itself, as reported by the State Prosecutor.
The Governor highlighted that President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo immediately supported the actions to clarify the homicide and announced the Michoacán Plan for Peace and Justice, which seeks to address the root factors that fuel violence, especially among young people.
The interview touched on the issue of the political use of the murder, after Páez mentioned versions spread by figures such as Vicente Fox and Lilly Téllez, who even did not know who Carlos Manzo was.
Bedolla responded that the Mayor’s widow, Grecia, has rejected that the case is being manipulated or used for partisan purposes. He also explained that three types of mobilizations have been identified after the crime: Citizen, broad and peaceful; those of political actors who tried to capitalize on the indignation and those promoted by criminal groups, such as the attacks in Apatzingán and on the cable car under construction in Uruapan.
“That is no longer a demonstration; it is a criminal display,” he said, revealing that the protests show the participation of right-wing figures “who seek to position themselves.”
The clues of the Manzo case
When Álvaro Delgado asked directly if Raúl Morón, or close figures such as Leonel Godoy, are involved in the line of investigation, Bedolla responded that all hypotheses are open.
He recalled that Carlos Manzo himself spoke publicly about his confrontation with Nacho Campos, former municipal president of Morena in Uruapan, with whom he had a strong political dispute both in the election and since both were part of the same party.
Manzo won the 2024 election as an independent with 66% of the vote, defeating Campos. That victory, Bedolla said, generated political tensions that later escalated towards the state aspiration of Senator Raúl Morón and his team: “It was a frontal political issue. There was a very bitter dispute between the municipal president of Uruapan and the group of the former municipal president.”
Governor Bedolla assured that he maintained a relationship of respect and joint work with Manzo, with ongoing projects and commitments that, he assured, will continue with the current Mayor. He added that he has known the family for decades: “Juan Manzo for 30 years; we are very friends. And Carlos for a long time too.”
Regarding whether the widow has shared a different version, she said that she has publicly maintained her position and that the Prosecutor maintains constant communication with her and with the independent movement so as not to rule out any line of investigation. He also confirmed that the Mayor’s immediate environment is being investigated: “Everything that was in the environment has to be investigated. Nothing can be left loose.”
When Alejandro Páez asked if there would be justice even if those responsible turned out to be Morena militants, Bedolla responded: “There can be no impunity because there is no public, political position… it gives you immunity at that level and even less if you are from this or that political party. Nor should there be persecution because you are from another political party opposed to Morena. No, of course not.”
Then, he stated that Michoacán is a plural state, with deep right-wing regions and assured that he has been respectful of all political forces. “We have discussed it with the prosecutors: there will be no impunity and the issue of justice will be given with certainty,” he promised.