A mayor in the central Mexican state of San Luis Potosi who belonged to the ruling Morena party was shot dead along with three other people on Sunday, local authorities said, while in another central region a prominent vineyard owner was murdered.
According to police, Jesus Eduardo Franco, mayor of the municipality of Tancanhuitz, and the three other victims were all found dead in a vehicle Public Prosecutor’s Office.
“We deeply regret the death of our colleague Eduardo Franco, mayor of Tancanhuitz,” said Morena party leader Rita Rodriguez wrote on social media.
“We call on the authorities to draw the final conclusions and find those responsible,” she added.
Politicians, especially at the local level, often Become a victim of bloodshed in connection with corruption and the billion-dollar drug trade. Earlier this month, a Mexican congressman was a member of the ruling coalition shot in the coastal state of Veracruz.
There was a mayor in October murdered and beheaded in the southern state of Guerrero. The next month was a former prosecutor and local police officer arrested in connection with the gruesome murder.
Wine entrepreneur killed in central Mexico
Meanwhile, a prominent vineyard owner was murdered in Mexico Guanajuato statea central region hit by violence linked to organized crime, authorities said Sunday.
Ricardo Vega was the owner of the Cuna de Tierra vineyard in the town of Dolores Hidalgo.
“I deeply regret and strongly condemn the cowardly murder of Ricardo Vega,” Mauricio Trejo, mayor of the nearby city of San Miguel de Allende, posted on the social network X. “Insecurity reigns in Guanajuato.”
Colonial-era San Miguel de Allende is part of an area full of arts and culture festivals and is popular with American tourists.
The Mexican Wine Council, an organization of the country’s winemakers, expressed sadness over Vega’s death, describing him as a “visionary leader and tireless defender of Mexican wine.”
Local newspaper AM reported that Vega was attacked by gunmen as he drove his truck through the area on Saturday. It was said the murder was under investigation.
According to official figures, more than 450,000 people have been murdered and thousands are missing since the Mexican government deployed the army to combat drug trafficking in 2006.
