Six former municipal police chiefs arrested for alleged protection of synthetic drug lab in Puebla

Federal and state forces dismantled a clandestine synthetic drug laboratory in Jopala, in Puebla's Sierra Norte, seizing about half a ton of crystal, more than 25,000 liters of precursor chemicals and specialized equipment. Six former municipal directors of public security from Jopala, Tlaola, Tlapacoya, Chila de la Sal, Tehuitzingo and Chietla were placed under investigation and charged with abuse of authority, cover‑up and failure to perform legal duties, authorities said.

The operation was part of Puebla's "Zero Impunity" strategy, which officials claim coordinates the Federal Attorney's Office, the State Attorney's Office, the Secretariat of Public Security, the National Defense Secretariat, the Navy and Civil Protection. The governor highlighted that the lab could have supplied markets in Puebla and Veracruz and noted a second lab was also dismantled in Chila de la Sal, bringing the total to five labs detected during the current administration. Secretary of Public Security Francisco Sánchez González emphasized the need for continued cooperation among security, health and social agencies to combat synthetic drug threats.