“It is a serious situation. The Navy, not only in the perception of citizen Political expansion.
By sexenios, the Navy built an image of institution impeccable, In addition to being strategic ally in the fight against organized crime.
In the government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador he was given more power, budget and faculties, such as the control and surveillance of customs. The objective was to stop corruption, smuggling and drug trafficking.
“We have made that decision for the management of the port, for mismanagement, poor port administration, corruption, smuggling, drug introduction into national territory through these ports,” said López Obrador on July 17, 2020.
However, it was that new responsibility that highlighted a possible collusion of controls and elements of the Navy in a fuel traffic network in which officials, customs agents, exporters, importers, distributors and gas stations also participated.
On Sunday, September 7, the Secretary of Security, Omar García Harfuch, confirmed the arrest of 14 members of a network linked to hydrocarbons trafficking, including Vice Admiral Manuel Roberto Farías Laguna, and other active sailors.
The announcement cimbó to the institution in charge of the seas and ports, and that is why before explaining how the network operated, the security person in defense of the Secretariat of the Navy.
“First of all, we recognize the coordinated and permanent work for many years of the Secretariat of the Navy, which has played a fundamental role in the security of our nation, and also took advantage, to highlight the important work that Admiral Rafael Ojeda performed during his management, who did an extraordinary work to strengthen this institution. The isolated act of a few, does not represent the act of this honorable institution,” Harfuch told the start of his message.
(Photo: Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro.)
According to data from the recent National Urban Public Security Survey (Ensu) of INEGI, published in June 2025, 87.5% of the population considers the performance of the Navy in the prevention and fighting for crime.
This places it as the security institution with greater citizen confidence among the adult population, above the Air Force (84.0%), the Army (83.1%) and the National Guard (72.5%).
La Marina, in collaboration with Mexican and American agencies, coordinated relevant arrests such as Rafael Caro Quintero and Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, in addition to “neutralizing” Arturo Beltrán Leyva, aka “The Chief of Chiefs”, leader and founder of the criminal group “Los Beltrán Leyva”.
“(He carried out) many of the great blows that were given to drug trafficking in the past (for its) tactical-strategic operation, it has generated good blows, it was the perfect interlocutor,” Alberto Guerrero observes.
In a live for Political expansionJosé Reveles, a journalist specialized in security issues, explained why the United States sees a reliable ally in the Navy to national defense.
“For many years, the Navy has been the preferred, spoiled, reliable institution of the United States for large -scale operations. The first important case was the location and liquidation of Arturo Beltrán Leyva in some condominiums in Cuernavaca, that was done by the Navy, and the army did not do it because the Wikileaks papers had expressed that the Mexican army had astate to the risk, therefore they preferred to trust, therefore they preferred to trust. Give all the information to the Navy, ”he said.
