A politician in southern Mexico who is listed by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration as a fugitive has now been reported missing and is believed to be the victim of a cartel kidnapping.

The incident went largely unnoticed for several days in Mexico following the March 28 disappearance of Rogelio Portillo Jaramillo, the current head of the Mexican Federal Welfare office in the town of Huetamo, Michoacan. Various individuals close to the politician point to Portillo having been kidnapped by unknown gunmen. They revealed that his burned-out truck had been found this week, and government officials publicly claim he is a missing person.

In 2021, Portillo ran for an unsuccessful bid for Mayor of Huetamo under Mexico’s ruling party MORENA. The local race drew national attention at the time because just two months before the election, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration listed him as a wanted fugitive out of Houston, Texas. Documents from the time point to Portillo being sought for federal drug conspiracy charges. Since then, Portillo lost his mayoral bid, but went to work as the head of the local welfare office.

Law enforcement sources consulted by Breitbart Texas revealed that Portillo is a known link between the Michoacan government and Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG), a group currently listed as a terrorist organization by the U.S. government. The sources also revealed that Portillo is the cousin of Francisco (El Serio or El Chico) Jaramillo, a regional boss for CJNG.

CJNG is waging an ongoing turf war with various smaller groups that are part of the Familia Michoacana cartel. This ongoing turf war has led to widespread violence in western Mexico, including Michoacan, Guerrero, and other states.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at [email protected]. 

Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at [email protected].