Former Mexico Security Head Arrested in Paraguay Due to Drug Cartel Ties
Former head of security in Mexico, Hernan Bermudez Requena, has been arrested in Paraguay.
Paraguayan authorities have reportedly captured Hernán Bermúdez Requena, also known as El Abuelo, a former Mexican head of citizen security. He is alleged to be the leader of the criminal group, La Barredora. The September 12 arrest was a team effort made possible by an international intelligence exchange — according to Omar García Harfuch, Mexico's Secretary of Security.
The operation was made possible by Mexico's new Law of the National Research and Intelligence System passed in June 2025. The law centralizes data gathering for serious crimes allowing the Secretary of Security to seek information from public and private sources with a judge's approval. Critics of the law have compared it to the US Patriot Act — raising concerns about its potential to violate privacy and basic rights.
After his arrest, Bermúdez Requena was taken into custody. He now faces charges of criminal association, extortion, and kidnapping, among others. An arrest warrant for him had been issued in Tabasco in February 2025. Interpol Mexico had also issued a Red Notice for his capture in July 2025. Authorities have lauded the arrest as a success for the current federal government’s commitment to fighting crime.
The Criminal Network
Authorities claim that Bermúdez had formed a criminal group with an accomplice. The group reportedly engaged in trafficking migrants and people, selling drugs, and extorting clubs and bars in Tabasco. His alleged codename in criminal circles was Commander H.
In 2023, the group split after a fight with the Gulf Cartel. The conflict led to the creation of La Barredora — led by Bermúdez. La Barredora is now battling with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) for control of Tabasco.
A study by Mexicans Against Impunity and Corruption (MCCI) suggests that the government of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) was aware of the cell’s activities that included stealing fuel and running a secret refinery, as far back as 2020.
Documents from the Mexican Army, made public by the Guacamaya hacker group and accessed by El País identified Bermúdez as a key figure in Tabasco's criminal network since 2019. In 2021, he was reportedly giving orders to criminal groups, and a year later he was named the head of La Barredora — then identified as a local CJNG cell. The military documents also linked Governor Adán Augusto López to emails exchanged by criminal leaders.
Other Army reports show that in December 2020, two independent criminal leaders, "Pantera" and "Toro," killed "Kalimba," a fuel thief connected to Los Zetas. They reportedly took control of four municipalities and part of Cárdenas, Tabasco, with permission from "Commander H"—the state head of Security. This alias is also linked to Hernán Bermúdez. The report cited a call implying he had high-level political protection.
Tabasco is known for fuel theft. Controlling its municipalities gives access to PEMEX pipelines, fuel distribution, drug trafficking, extortion, executions, and migrant smuggling. With Bermúdez allegedly as the state’s top security official, the Jalisco Cartel expanded its presence, and banners with the names of the cartel and La Barredora appeared in the following months. By May 2021, the Ministry of Defense had identified Bermúdez as the head of Tabasco’s criminal network — he was settling disputes, ordering executions, and setting prices for the release of gang members.
His brother, Humberto Bermúdez Requena, has been accused of money laundering after he purchased a luxury apartment in the Marina Palms Residences condominium in North Miami Beach, valued at $1.3 million USD. The transaction was carried out through MPN906 LLC, a company incorporated on November 8, 2024, in Florida.
In Aventura, the Bermúdez family acquired apartment 906 at 17301 Biscayne Blvd, a property with three bedrooms, four bathrooms, and a terrace overlooking Maule Lake. One month after the creation of MPN906 LLC, the family completed the purchase — they secured a $700,000 mortgage loan from Banco Bradesco, a Brazilian bank, to help finance the transaction.
The purchase happened at the same time criminal investigations against Hernán Bermúdez began in Mexico. The timing raised suspicions that the family may have been trying to hide assets.
About the Creator
Michael Joseph
Michael Joseph is an entertainment, political, financial news reporter. He holds a Bachelor of Economics degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
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Minneapolis ICE Shooting Updates
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