On the night of November 1, 2025, the city of Uruapan in Michoacan, Mexico, was alive with the vibrant colors and sounds of Day of the Dead festivities. Families gathered in the streets, honoring loved ones who had passed, their faces painted in traditional calavera designs. In the midst of this celebration, tragedy struck: Carlos Manzo, the city’s popular mayor, was gunned down in front of dozens of stunned onlookers. According to the Associated Press, the teenage gunman responsible for Manzo’s assassination was killed shortly after the attack, but the shockwaves from the event reverberated far beyond that fateful night.
The murder of Mayor Manzo was not an isolated incident in a region long plagued by violence linked to organized crime. Instead, it became a flashpoint, exposing the deep entrenchment of criminal organizations within Michoacan and igniting a renewed debate over security strategies at the highest levels of the Mexican government. In the days that followed, authorities scrambled to piece together the events that led to the mayor’s killing, as citizens demanded answers and assurances of safety.
Investigators quickly zeroed in on the network behind the assassination. As reported by the Associated Press, two men believed to have had contact with the teenage shooter before the attack were found dead along a highway on November 10. Their cellphones, recovered the following day, proved to be a trove of evidence. The analysis of messages on those devices revealed chilling details about the planning and orchestration of the attack on Mayor Manzo. Authorities determined that the criminal cell responsible was tied to the notorious Jalisco New Generation Cartel, a group that has become synonymous with violence and territorial battles across Mexico.
During a news conference, Public Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch provided insight into the investigation’s progress. He explained that the suspect at the center of the plot, identified only as Jorge Armando N in accordance with Mexican privacy rules, was tracked down thanks to the digital trail left on the recovered phones. García Harfuch stated, “The analysis of those phones revealed messages about the planning of the attack.” This breakthrough allowed law enforcement to move swiftly, culminating in Jorge Armando N’s arrest on the afternoon of November 18. According to Michoacan state prosecutor Carlos Torres Piña, the suspect was not only involved in planning and ordering the killing, but was also one of the leaders of a criminal cell with direct connections to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
The assassination of a sitting mayor in such a public setting was a grim reminder of the ongoing dangers faced by local officials in regions contested by powerful cartels. For President Claudia Sheinbaum, the killing brought immediate and intense pressure to reevaluate her administration’s security strategy. Calls for action came from all corners—residents fearful for their safety, political opponents criticizing the government’s approach, and international observers concerned about the broader implications for rule of law in Mexico.
In response, President Sheinbaum announced a sweeping new initiative: Plan Michoacan. The plan, as reported by the Associated Press, is multifaceted. While it includes increased spending on social programs aimed at addressing some of the underlying causes of crime, its most visible component is the deployment of 10,000 troops across Michoacan. The goal is straightforward—reassert control over areas where criminal organizations have operated with impunity, and restore a sense of security for ordinary citizens.
But the government’s determination to confront organized crime did not stop at arrests and troop deployments. On November 20, just days after Jorge Armando N’s apprehension, security forces under Plan Michoacan launched a major raid targeting organized crime groups in the state. According to Vallarta Daily, the operation resulted in the seizure of chemicals, weapons, and vehicles, dealing a significant financial blow to the criminal networks operating in the region. Authorities estimated the value of the assets seized at 232 million pesos—a sum that underscores the scale and profitability of organized crime in Michoacan.
The timing of the raid sent a clear message: the government was not content to simply react to high-profile crimes after the fact. Instead, it intended to proactively disrupt the operations of cartels and criminal cells, using intelligence gathered from investigations like the one that followed Mayor Manzo’s assassination. The hope, officials said, was to break the cycle of violence that has gripped Michoacan for years.
The challenges, however, remain daunting. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, for example, has demonstrated an ability to adapt and regroup in the face of government crackdowns. Its influence extends beyond Michoacan, with operations in multiple states and a reputation for both ruthless violence and sophisticated organization. For many in Uruapan and across Michoacan, the fear is that the killing of one mayor—and the arrest of one cell leader—will not be enough to stem the tide of violence.
Still, the recent actions of Mexican authorities have been met with cautious optimism by some residents. The visible presence of troops and the high-profile seizures of cartel assets have provided a measure of reassurance, even as questions linger about the long-term effectiveness of such strategies. Critics argue that while military deployments and headline-grabbing raids may disrupt criminal groups temporarily, lasting peace will require deeper reforms—addressing corruption, improving the justice system, and creating economic opportunities that reduce the allure of organized crime.
President Sheinbaum’s Plan Michoacan seeks to balance these competing demands. By combining social programs with robust security measures, the administration hopes to tackle both the symptoms and the root causes of violence. Whether this approach will succeed where previous efforts have struggled remains to be seen. The events of November 2025 have made it clear, though, that the stakes are high, and the eyes of the nation are on Michoacan.
As the investigation into Mayor Manzo’s assassination continues, and as security forces press their campaign against organized crime, one thing is certain: the people of Michoacan are watching closely, hoping that the latest efforts signal a turning point in a long and difficult struggle for safety and justice.