Tabasco homicides dropped over 50% since 2024, officials report: Friday’s mañanera recapped

• 📍 Sheinbaum on tour: As is often the case on Fridays, President Sheinbaum held her press conference outside Mexico City. Her mañanera today was held in Villahermosa, the capital of the Gulf coast state of Tabasco.
• 📉 Homicides down 54% in Tabasco: National Public Security System chief Marcela Figueroa reported Tabasco’s daily homicide rate hit 1.6 in August, a 54% drop from the November 2024 peak of 3.5 per day.
• 🚔 Over 6,500 arrests since October 2024: Security Minister Omar García Harfuch said 6,527 people were arrested in Tabasco between October 2024 and September 15, 2026. He said that 2,053 firearms and nearly 13 tonnes of drugs were seized in the same period.
• 🔻 La Barredora “greatly diminished”: Asked about the criminal group once allegedly led by Tabasco’s ex-Security Minister Hernán Bermúdez Requena, García Harfuch said the organization has been “greatly diminished” and “practically split in two.”
• 🗨️ Sheinbaum weighs in on Trump-Xi meeting: The president called Thursday’s meeting in Washington between Trump and Xi “very interesting.” She warned that rivalry between the two powers creates global uncertainty and reaffirmed Mexico’s preference for “peace and cooperation for development.”

Why today’s mañanera matters

President Claudia Sheinbaum held her Friday morning press conference in Villahermosa, capital of the Gulf Coast state of Tabasco.

Security officials presented data showing that the federal government has made significant progress in combating violence in the state, including through the arrest of alleged criminals accused of fueling it. Officials reasserted that the government’s security strategy is yielding results in Tabasco and across the country.

Also of note at today’s mañanera were Sheinbaum’s comments on the meeting in Washington, D.C., on Thursday between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Sheinbaum will join both leaders, and various others, at the APEC Summit in China in November.

Government reports 54% reduction in homicides compared to 2024 peak

National Public Security System chief Marcela Figueroa reported that the daily homicide rate in Tabasco in August was 1.6, a reduction of 54% compared to November 2024, the month with the highest murder rate —3.5 per day — since the current federal government took office in October 2024.

“Thanks to the strengthening of the national public security strategy and coordination with the state government, a reduction in this crime has been achieved,” she said.

According to the data Figueroa presented, the year-over-year decline in homicides in August was 16%.

Figueroa also reported that Tabasco has recorded an average of 10.3 high-impact crimes per day so far in 2026.

That figure represents a decline of 12% compared to 2025 and a reduction of 18% compared to 2024. Among the offenses classified as high-impact crimes are homicides, kidnappings, acts of extortion, violent robberies and rape.

More than 6,000 people arrested in Tabasco since October 2024  

Security Minister Omar García Harfuch reported that more than 6,500 people — 6,527 to be exact — were arrested in Tabasco between Oct. 1, 2024 and Sept. 15, 2026.

Data he presented showed that 2,053 firearms and 12.97 tonnes of drugs were seized in the state in the same period.

García Harfuch said that the arrest of “important targets” in Tabasco has had a “direct impact on the reduction of violence.”

He mentioned a number of the most significant arrests that have been made in the state, including that of a man accused of nine homicides.

García Harfuch: La Barredora has been weakened 

A reporter asked García Harfuch about the current strength in Tabasco of La Barredora, a criminal group that was formerly allegedly led by ex-Tabasco Security Minister Hernán Bermúdez Requena.

Bermúdez, who served as security minister in the state government led by former Governor Adán Augusto López Hernández, was arrested in Paraguay in September 2024 and subsequently extradited to Mexico, where he is in prison awaiting trial. López, a Morena party senator and former federal interior minister, has faced claims from opposition parties that he was also involved in La Barredora when the group was allegedly led by Bermúdez.

García Harfuch said there have been “a lot of arrests” of people linked to the criminal group. He subsequently praised the Tabasco state police for their efforts to combat organized crime.

“This organization is greatly diminished,” he said, referring to La Barredora.

“It’s practically split in two,” García Harfuch said.

Sheinbaum comments on Trump-Xi meeting 

A reporter asked the president about the meeting on Thursday between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, noting that the latter stated that China and the United States must maintain a peaceful relationship and engage in “healthy” competition.

Sheinbaum described the meeting between the U.S. and Chinese presidents as “very interesting.”

“… The idea of rivalry between two important nations such as China and the United States creates uncertainty in the world,” she said.

“And what Mexico has always sought is peace and cooperation for development,” Sheinbaum added.

She said that her government’s view is that economic competition shouldn’t create “rivalries between countries.”

Mexico has important economic relationships with both the United States and China. Mexico and the United States are each other’s largest trading partner, while China is a large exporter of goods to Mexico.

By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)