Mayor among 4 people found shot dead in central Mexico; a prominent vineyard owner was killed in a separate incident

The mayor of Mexico’s central state of San Luis Potosi, who was a member of the ruling Morena party, was shot dead on Sunday along with three other people, local authorities said, while a well-known vineyard owner was killed in another central state.

Jesus Eduardo Franco, the mayor of the municipality of Tancanhuitz, and three other victims were all found dead inside the car, according to the federal prosecutor’s office.

“We deeply regret the death of our colleague Eduardo Franco, the president of the municipality of Tancanhuitz,” wrote the president of Morena’s group Rita Rodriguez on social media.

“We are asking the administration to reach the final results and find those responsible,” he added.

Politicians, especially at the local level, always become a victim of bloodshed related to corruption and the multi-billion dollar drug trade. Earlier this month, a Mexican congressman who was a member of the ruling coalition he was shot dead in the coastal state of Veracruz.

In October, he became mayor he was killed and beheaded in the southern region of Guerrero. The following month, a former prosecutor and local police chief you are arrested about brutal murder.

A wine entrepreneur was killed in central Mexico

Meanwhile, a prominent vineyard owner was killed in Mexico Guanajuato statea region plagued by organized crime-related violence, authorities said on Sunday.

Ricardo Vega was the owner of the Cuna de Tierra vineyard in the town of Dolores Hidalgo.

“I deeply regret and strongly condemn the cowardly killing of Ricardo Vega,” Mauricio Trejo, mayor of the nearby city of San Miguel de Allende, wrote on social media X. “Insecurity reigns in Guanajuato.”

Colonial San Miguel de Allende is part of an area rich in art and culture, where it is often visited by American tourists.

The Mexican Wine Council, the country’s vintners’ association, expressed sadness at Vega’s death and described him as a “visionary leader and tireless defender of Mexican wine.”

The local newspaper AM reported that Vega was attacked on Saturday by armed men while he was driving his truck in the area. It said that the murder is being investigated.

More than 450,000 people have been killed and thousands have gone missing since the Mexican government sent troops to fight drug trafficking in 2006, according to official figures.