An elite unit recently launched in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas is facing accusations from civil and religious organizations of committing abuses against residents, including arbitrary detentions, torture, and excessive force.
The Immediate Reaction Force Pakal (FRIP), also known as Pakales, was created with the goal of restoring order and bring peace to Chiapas, a state that has been immersed in chaos since 2021, when conflicts between the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) and the Sinaloa Cartel escalated due to fights for control of drug smuggling routes.
@buena.fuente.noti HIMNO PAKAL: EL ORGULLO DE CHIAPAS Con la fuerza de un jaguar y la destreza de un pegaso, los Pakales resurgen como una fuerza élite, listos para restaurar la paz en Chiapas. Disciplina, valor y entrega definen su esencia, entrenados para enfrentar cualquier reto con honor y compromiso. Cada línea de este himno refleja su espíritu: escalar, nadar, bucear, patrullar y, sobre todo, nunca dejar atrás a un compañero. La seguridad de Chiapas tiene un nuevo rostro, y con cada misión, los Pakales demuestran que su lealtad es inquebrantable. ¿Qué opinas del compromiso de estos elementos con la seguridad del estado? #Pakales #FuerzaPakal #SeguridadChiapas #chiapas #chiapasmexico🇲🇽 #FuerzaPakal #canticos #frip #HonorYLealtad #BuenaFuente
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Just last week, a convoy of 41 vehicles arrived to the rural community of San Pedro Cotzilnam to secure the arrests of José Baldemar Sántiz Sántiz and Andrés Manuel Sántiz Gómez, two members of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation, a far-left political and militant group with a substantial presence in Chiapas.
According to a local resident, members of the Pakales searched four homes without judicial warrants and stole vehicles, money and more.
As reported by Animal Político, the man said authorities were accusing the suspects of "aggravated kidnapping without any evidence," arguing that the operation was an "attack on the autonomy of Indigenous communities, not just the Zapatistas."
Allegations of abuse by the FRIP have come from beyond the Zapatista movement. In a statement, civil society group Las Abejas de Acteal said the elite unit is "sending innocent people to prison," while the Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas Human Rights Center, known as Frayba, has also warned of "allegations against FRIP commanders for collusion with organized crime groups."
"These violations — including arbitrary detention, excessive use of force and torture — are being committed by a group that claims to be the solution to Chiapas' insecurity," said Pedro Faro, a member of Frayba.
Recent allegations of abuse by the Pakales have also drawn concern from local Catholic Church leaders. Bishop Luis Manuel López Alfaro of Tapachula said at a press conference earlier this month that the unit continues to detain people unlawfully.
Organization Melel Xojobal has also reported cases of abuse involving children since the deployment of the Pakales unit. According to the group, at least eight minors were detained in the first 100 days of Aguilar's administration in the communities of San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Teopisca and Paraíso Grijalva, allegedly for carrying drugs and high-caliber firearms.
Similar reports surfaced in late March, when residents of the Tila ejido said the Pakales, accompanied by a criminal group known as Karma, raided homes without warrants and detained 20 people without arrest orders. Among them were five children, who were held in jail for four days before being released.
"The Pakales and the 'narcokarmas' beat elderly people and injured others with military-grade weapons," the Tila ejido said in a statement. "They harassed, intimidated, broke into homes, abused their authority, and violated the human rights of Indigenous people. They also stole 20,000 pesos in savings from an elderly woman," the statement said.
The deployment of the unit was initially praised by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who said Chiapas Governor Eduardo Ramirez Aguilar had "strengthened security institutions and their coordination" with the new force.
The Pakales consists of 701 members, each earning about $2,500 a month, with officials arguing that a competitive salary would prevent corruption, according to Animal Político.
The unit is led by Álvaro Cuauhtémoc Serrano Escobedo, a former Federal Police commander implicated in a 2015 massacre in Tanhuato, Michoacán, where agents allegedly executed 22 civilians and tampered with the crime scene. The Federal Attorney General's Office (FGR) sought his arrest, but Serrano Escobedo fled. He resurfaced in March 2025, when he was appointed to lead the Pakales in Chiapas.
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