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

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

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

“We deeply regret the death of our colleague Eduardo Franco, municipal president of Tancanhuitz,” Morena party president Rita Rodriguez wrote on social media.

“We ask authorities to reach the ultimate consequences and find those responsible,” she added.

Politicians, particularly at the local level, frequently fall victim to bloodshed connected to corruption and the multibillion-dollar drugs trade. Earlier this month, a Mexican congressman who was a member of the ruling coalition was shot dead in coastal Veracruz state.

In October, a mayor was murdered and decapitated in the southern state of Guerrero. The next month, a former prosecutor and local police official was arrested in connection with the grisly killing.

Wine entrepreneur killed in central Mexico

Meanwhile, a prominent vineyard owner was murdered in Mexico’s Guanajuato state, a central region that has been plagued by violence linked to organized crime, authorities said Sunday.

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

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

Colonial-era San Miguel de Allende is part of an area rich in art and cultural festivals, where it is frequented by American tourists.

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

Local newspaper A.M. reported that Vega was attacked Saturday by armed men as he drove his truck in the area. It said the killing was under investigation.

More than 450,000 people have been murdered and thousands have gone missing since the Mexican government deployed the army to combat drug trafficking in 2006, according to official figures.