Pedro Ariel Mendívil García, former director of Public Security of Mexicali, in Baja California, one of the most visible figures of the security strategy of the City Council led by Mayor Norma Bustamante, from Morena, was arrested on Tuesday morning in a joint operation by federal and state forces. The State Attorney General’s Office accuses him of allegedly participating in crimes of forced disappearance committed by individuals, vehicle theft, and criminal association, in an investigation opened since 2023.
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The capture took place at a residence in the private subdivision Los Arcos, east of Mexicali, in a coordinated operation between the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection, the Secretariat of the Navy, the Secretariat of National Defense, and the State Investigation Agency, who executed an arrest warrant issued by a common jurisdiction judge. The operation has been partially broadcast on social media.
The Attorney General’s Office has reported that former commander Luis Alfonso “N” and various active members of the Mexicali Public Security Directorate were also arrested. The agency stated that all are being investigated for their probable participation in crimes related to disappearances, vehicle theft, criminal association, and others that may arise from the investigation file. The institution emphasized that the investigations remain open and that it will be up to the Judiciary to determine the legal situation of the accused during the next stages of the criminal process.
Before his arrest, Mendívil García posted a video in which he stated that he would not try to evade the authorities. “An innocent man does not hide,” he said in the message. He claimed to have known in advance that he would be arrested, although he said he did not know the content of the arrest warrant. “I consider myself an innocent man,” he has said.
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The former official attributed the criminal process to differences with political actors in Baja California. According to his version, the problems began after disagreements over the security strategy and led to conflicts with state and municipal figures, without giving names or more details about his allusions. He also denied being a member of Morena and stated that his case coincides with a politically sensitive moment for the State.
Mendívil linked his arrest to the political context in Baja California, marked by the repercussions of the release of audios related to Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila and the criminal process faced by former governor Ernesto Ruffo, accused of allegedly being part of a fiscal fuel theft network. He questioned the operation against him as “a distraction” amid these controversies.
The arrest of the former police chief opens a new front in Baja California, a border state going through a political crisis due to questions about its governor, accused of offering security information to the United States in exchange for recovering her visa.