Key facts
- Six individuals, including four local police officers, were arrested in Veracruz, Mexico.
- The arrests are linked to the alleged kidnapping of journalist Roxana Guzmán.
- José del Carmen 'N', accused of leading a criminal cell, is a suspect in the abduction.
- Guzmán disappeared on June 4 after armed men allegedly entered her home.
- Veracruz is known as a dangerous state for journalists.
Six individuals, including four local police officers and two civilians, have been arrested in the Mexican state of Veracruz for their alleged involvement in the kidnapping of journalist Roxana Guzmán. The state prosecutor's office confirmed the arrests to The Associated Press more than three weeks after Guzmán, director of Pulso Informativo del Sureste, disappeared.
Among those detained is José del Carmen 'N', identified as the alleged leader of a criminal cell operating in southern Veracruz and investigated for various crimes, including the probable participation in Guzmán's abduction. Karen 'N' and four municipal police officers from Ixhuatlán del Sureste were also arrested. The prosecutor's office did not specify the charges against Karen 'N' or the police officers but confirmed their alleged participation in the kidnapping.
Guzmán disappeared on June 4 after a group of armed men reportedly forced their way into her home. Videos circulating on social media show two masked men with long firearms entering the residence violently. Since her disappearance, colleagues, family, and press freedom organizations have urged authorities to intensify the search and clarify the case. The journalist has not yet been located.
Veracruz has long been considered one of the most dangerous states in Mexico for journalists. In the past six months, two other journalists, Luis Ángel López Valdez and Carlos Castro, have been killed in the state.