Uruapan mayor Carlos Manzo was killed on Nov. 1; reports suggest the Jalisco cartel offered a reward of two million pesos, nearly $35,000, to anyone willing to carry out the assassination.
Via El Imparcial
Mexico's top security official, Omar García Harfuch, announced a new development in the investigation into the death of Carlos Manzo, the mayor of Uruapan, Michoacán, who was fatally shot last November during a Day of the Dead event.
According to Harfuch, an operation in the state of Michoacán led to the arrest of Gerardo "N," also known as "El Congo," who has been identified as a suspect in Manzo's killing.
The security secretary said El Congo worked for Jorge Armando "N," also known as "El Licenciado," who authorities have identified as one of the alleged masterminds of the crime. Officials also said that before his arrest, Gerardo "N" led a cell of hit men tied to the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) that extorted avocado and lime producers in the municipality of Uruapan.
Esta madrugada, en Michoacán, en una operación encabezada por la @FiscaliaMich en coordinación con @Defensamx1 @SEMAR_mx @SSPCMexico @GN_MEXICO_ y @SSeguridad_Mich fue detenido Gerardo “N”, alias “El Congo”, identificado como integrante de la célula delictiva que atentó contra… pic.twitter.com/QILmPBFT4H
— Omar H Garcia Harfuch (@OHarfuch) March 2, 2026
During the operation in the Tierra Caliente region, authorities seized nine firearm magazines, 14 doses of methamphetamine and also arrested a woman identified as Kimberly "N."
As Harfuch noted, El Congo worked for El Licenciado, who according to federal investigators led a group linked to the Jalisco cartel and directed individuals who carried out killings on the cartel's behalf.
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Four months after Manzo's death, multiple lines of investigation remain open as authorities work to identify those responsible. The arrest of El Congo marks the first new development since January, when Mexican media reported that one of Manzo's employees in the Uruapan city government played a key role in facilitating the mayor's killing.
According to the report, testimony from people linked to the case revealed that Samuel "N," the former director of Public Relations and Protocol for the Uruapan city hall, agreed to take part in a plan originally devised by a CJNG to get rid of Manzo in exchange for drugs.
One suspect who testified before authorities confessed that Samuel "N" knew what was going to happen to Manzo a month before the mayor was killed.
According to testimony from Josué Eulogio, who worked as a taxi driver in Uruapan and also sold drugs for the Jalisco cartel, the public relations director was addicted to drugs and bought large quantities of cocaine from him. That behavior caught the attention of his boss, known as "El M2," the alleged leader of a CJNG cell in Uruapan.
In his testimony, the man said that through text messages on WhatsApp, El M2 established contact with Samuel "N." About a month before the attack, Josué Eulogio was allegedly informed of plans to kill Manzo because the mayor posed a serious threat to the criminal organization's objectives.
"All right, whatever you need, I'll help you," Samuel "N" allegedly said, according to Josué Eulogio's testimony.
On the day of the attack, the man recalled that his boss asked him to check with Samuel "N" about Manzo's location and route for the Day of the Dead event. Later that afternoon, he sent the itinerary by message, and minutes later Samuel "N" confirmed that Manzo had already arrived at the event.
According to the testimony, Josué later asked his informant that night whether he felt any remorse for having taken part in the attack.
"No, relax, nothing is going to happen. I was fed up with him, he had me running all over the place," the man recounted.
Also known as "El Viejito," Josué Eulogio was arrested Jan. 9 in a supermarket parking lot after police caught him urinating in public. When officers asked for his identification, he dropped a bag containing methamphetamine and was taken into custody.
As reported by Milenio, the following day Josué Eulogio decided to talk and confessed that he had knowledge of the Carlos Manzo case, prompting a public prosecutor to take his statement.
As authorities continue to reveal new details surrounding Manzo's killing, Milenio also reported that the Jalisco cartel offered a reward of two million pesos, nearly $35,000, to anyone willing to carry out the assassination.
One of the men responsible for recruiting the gunmen was identified as Ramiro "N," who was found dead on a highway near Uruapan a few days after the killing.
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Tags: Michoacan, Mexico, CJNG, Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion, Drug cartels