Jesús Corona Damián, Cuautla mayor who governed under organized crime's shadow, captured in Guerrero

Jesús Corona Damián, who served as the mayor of Cuautla on two separate occasions, has been captured in Guerrero, continuing a political career persistently marked by allegations of ties to organized crime. These suspicions date back to his first term as a PAN candidate from 2018 to 2021, when his brother Samuel was arrested for kidnapping just three months after Corona's election victory.

After losing his bid for re-election, Corona Damián returned to power in the 2024 elections, campaigning on a promise to restore peace and security to Cuautla, Morelos's second-largest city. He secured victory with 23,188 votes, surpassing his Morena opponent who received 18,438 votes.

However, his second term began with immediate controversy regarding security appointments. On January 1, 2025, he reinstated Israel Nieto Pliego as security secretary, a position he held under the previous administration. Pliego was dismissed on April 4, 2025, following an anti-kidnapping operation in Yautepec that led to the arrest of three members of the Unión Tepito cartel, including Benjamín Nieto, the brother of Cuautla's then-security secretary.

Further complicating matters, Corona Damián appointed Francisco Delgadillo Cadena as police chief, despite warnings from the head of Police Morelos, Miguel Ángel Urrutia, that the appointment was irregular due to a lack of required background checks. Delgadillo was later removed after failing these checks. The security shake-ups coincided with the emergence of a video showing Corona Damián meeting with Júpiter Araujo, a leader of the Cartel del Pacífico, an ally of the Sinaloa Cartel. This meeting reportedly occurred after the June 2024 elections, while Corona was still the mayor-elect.