Mexico: A judge has ordered the conditional suspension of proceedings for 24 of the 33 people arrested on 12 February 2026 during an operation carried out by the State of Mexico Attorney General’s Office at the La Cruz Azul cement plant in Hidalgo, according to Noticias Financieras news.
Those released are under strict conditions: they are prohibited from visiting any company premises, including the Cruz Azul plant in Hidalgo, sites in Lagunas, Oaxaca and Puebla, facilities in Aguascalientes and the company’s corporate offices in Mexico City. They must also complete three hours of community service per week for the Municipal Presidency of Tula, remain under supervision by the Precautionary Measures Unit and report to sign in every 15 days, and are prohibited from leaving the state of Hidalgo.
The conditional suspension is an alternative to trial requiring the defendants to meet set conditions and repair damage within two years for the criminal action to be extinguished. Failure to comply would result in the resumption of criminal proceedings. The ruling reportedly does not amount to an acquittal.
The arrests followed an operation to restore control of the company to the group headed by Víctor Velázquez amid an ongoing dispute over the company’s assets with the faction linked to Guillermo Álvarez. A confrontation between cooperative members and security forces during the operation resulted in the detention of 33 people.
