PAN proposes up to 140 years in prison for officials linked to organized crime

The PAN party in Mexico's Chamber of Deputies has introduced a legislative initiative to significantly increase penalties for public officials who collaborate with organized crime. The proposal seeks to amend the Federal Penal Code and the Federal Law Against Organized Crime to impose prison sentences ranging from 80 to 140 years, along with fines of up to 24,000 days.

A key component of the initiative is to make these crimes imprescriptible, meaning they can be investigated and prosecuted regardless of how much time has passed since the offense occurred. The proposed sanctions would target federal and local officials—including governors, cabinet members, prosecutors, and security authorities—who use their positions to facilitate criminal operations or interfere in democratic processes and elections.

During the presentation, Deputy José Manuel Hinojosa Pérez linked the proposal to the country's security crisis, alleging that many politicians have accepted criminal funding for their campaigns. The initiative specifically references the need to address political ties to criminal groups, with PAN coordinator Elías Lixa stating the goal is to end the influence of specific political figures in Sinaloa.