Gerardo Cortés Caballero, the Morena mayor on leave from Cuautempan, Puebla, was arrested in Tlaxcala after eight months on the run, according to a report by journalist María López San Martín on X. The arrest occurred within the reporting window of 4:46 PM to 7:46 PM UTC on February 4, 2026. He faces investigations for kidnapping, extortion, organized crime, embezzlement, and illicit enrichment. Cortés Caballero had been evading capture since approximately June 2025, as stated in the X post by MLopezSanMartin. The mayor from the ruling Morena party was placed on leave amid the probes into multiple criminal allegations. No additional details on the exact timing or circumstances of the arrest within the three-hour window were provided in the source. The capture marks the end of his fugitive status in the neighboring state of Tlaxcala.
