Iván Morales Corrales, a witness in the "Menchito" trial, is killed.

MEXICO CITY — Federal agent Iván Morales Corrales was killed on May 1 in an ambush in Temixco, Morelos , about six kilometers from Cuernavaca. He was traveling in a black pickup truck with a woman when armed men blocked their path and opened fire. Both died in the attack. The attackers fled on motorcycles waiting for them on a nearby road.

This was no ordinary crime. Morales Corrales was one of the few survivors of the downing of a military helicopter that occurred exactly ten years ago, in 2015, during an operation to capture Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, “El Mencho,” leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). Nine officers died in that attack, and Morales was seriously injured with burns over 70% of his body.

Alleged settling of scores

The coincidence of dates has reinforced the hypothesis that the murder was a settling of scores . The attack a decade ago also occurred on May 1 , in Villa Purificación, Jalisco , and was one of the most violent moments of the so-called "Operation Jalisco." Morales was later honored by Enrique Peña Nieto's government for his resilience and courage.

According to El País , the agent was a witness in the trial of Rubén Oseguera González, alias "El Menchito," son of "El Mencho," who was sentenced to life in prison in the United States on March 7. A week earlier, Mexican authorities had also extradited Antonio Oseguera, known as "Tony Montana," the drug lord's uncle.

Pressure from the U.S. government to dismantle the CJNG network has increased in recent months, just as Claudia Sheinbaum prepares to assume federal leadership. The murder of Morales Corrales comes in this context and has been interpreted as a violent message from criminal groups in response to the blows they have suffered.

The attack coincides with a series of recent narco-blockades in Jalisco, Michoacán, and Guanajuato, strongholds of the CJNG . In at least 30 municipalities, gunmen set fire to vehicles and attacked residents for four hours, leaving two police officers dead and creating a general atmosphere of fear.

Morales Corrales escaped the 2015 attack with his life by rolling his burning body and hiding in some bushes.

Although the identity of the woman accompanying him has not yet been confirmed, local media report that she was his wife.