Two federal security agents kidnapped in Jalisco state last week have been found alive, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced Monday, offering a rare moment of relief amid ongoing cartel violence in the region. The agents were located in the municipality of Magdalena, just outside Guadalajara, after nearly a week missing during an intelligence operation targeting criminal groups linked to the Jalisco new generation Cartel. Their recovery underscores the risks faced by Mexican security forces and the continued challenges to maintaining order in key areas of the country.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum learned of the safe return of two federal security agents during her regular morning press conference Monday, December 1. The agents had been missing since November 25, when they were abducted in Jalisco state, a region grappling with cartel violence.
Sheinbaum received the news via a message from Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch, who informed her that the agents were found alive in the municipality of Magdalena, Jalisco. “I’m going to read the message I received: The two SSPC agents kidnapped by a criminal group in Jalisco were found in good health,” the president announced.
Sheinbaum did not elaborate further, as she was scheduled to meet with Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam shortly after receiving the update. The recovery of the agents comes as a relief to authorities and underscores the ongoing challenges of maintaining security in parts of Mexico.
Security Secretary Confirms Agent Rescue
Shortly after the president’s announcement, García Harfuch confirmed the agents’ recovery on social media, expressing gratitude for the support of federal forces and the Jalisco government.
“Our @SSPCMexico colleagues who were deprived of their liberty in Zapopan, Jalisco, on November 25 are safe and will soon be with their families. We thank @DefensaMx, @SEMAR_mx, @GN_MEXICO_ and Governor @PabloLemusN for their support in the search for their location,” he wrote.
Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus reported that the agents were located inside a fire department vehicle in Magdalena, just over an hour from Guadalajara, and received immediate medical attention. One of the officers sustained a gunshot wound to the leg.
Lemus stated that the agents are in good health and will soon be reunited with their families, adding that collaboration with federal authorities will continue to determine the circumstances surrounding their disappearance.
Details of the Agents’ Disappearance
The federal agents disappeared November 25 while en route to a security operation in Guadalajara. They were part of a team conducting intelligence work to identify and dismantle criminal groups operating in Jalisco.
Contact with the agents was lost during their journey, and their official vehicle was later found abandoned in the Paseo de los Virreyes area of Zapopan. The vehicle showed evidence of gunfire, with shell casings and bloodstains discovered inside, suggesting a possible attack.
This incident is not isolated. In early September, authorities reported the disappearance of SSPC agents in Michoacán, who were briefly held while conducting investigative work near the Morelia Airport in Álvaro Obregón municipality.
Those agents were rescued by a joint operation involving the Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional, the Guardia Nacional and state police. Both agents sustained minor injuries and were found in the colonia Las Flores, near the airport.
