On September 14, 2025, The New York Times featured a bombshell report on its front page exposing a sweeping corruption scandal involving Adán Augusto López Hernández, current Morena senator and former Secretary of the Interior, and Hernán Bermúdez Requena, ex-Secretary of Public Security in Tabasco. The article, titled “Mexico’s President Faces Corruption Crisis Within Her Party”, detailed alleged ties between the two officials and the criminal organization La Barredora, linked to the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG).
The scandal erupted following Bermúdez’s arrest in Paraguay on September 12, where he had been hiding since fleeing Mexico earlier in the year. Intelligence reports and military documents had long identified Bermúdez as a key figure in La Barredora, accused of orchestrating fuel theft, extortion, and drug trafficking while serving in public office.
Adán Augusto López, who appointed Bermúdez during his tenure as Governor of Tabasco, is now under intense scrutiny. The Times report highlighted López’s past dismissal of military intelligence as “gossip,” but noted that his political proximity to Bermúdez raises serious questions about complicity and oversight.
The timing of the exposé is politically sensitive, as it coincides with rising tensions between President Claudia Sheinbaum and her predecessor Andrés Manuel López Obrador, with whom Adán Augusto remains closely aligned. The scandal threatens to fracture the ruling Morena party and complicate Mexico’s diplomatic standing amid U.S. concerns over cartel influence in politics.
Mexican authorities have requested Bermúdez’s extradition, and his testimony is expected to reveal further details about the network of officials allegedly protecting criminal operations. The case continues to dominate headlines and may reshape the political landscape in the months ahead.
Wtih information from ADN 40
