32 | Friday, August 7, 2026US suspends avocado inspections in Mexican state of Michoacan due to threat Print | Front Page | Email this story You have entered an invalid email addressTo:* RequiredFrom:* RequiredMessage:You have entered an invalid email addressFrom (email): * RequiredMessage: * RequiredMEXICO CITY (AP) — The United States announced Wednesday that it had suspended all government operations in the Mexican state of Michoacan because of a "threat to U.S. interests," including a halt to the inspections of avocados required for their export. While the U.S. Embassy did not specify the nature of the threat in its security alert, Michoacan Gov. Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla said on social media that the temporary halt to inspections was intended to safeguard workers following recent arrests linked to extortion. The inspections are necessary for avocados to be shipped to the United States and their suspension could disrupt exports. Michoacan State Security Secretary Antonio Cruz told The Associated Press that one of the arrests mentioned by the governor was of "El Poncho," the alias of Alfonso Fernández Magallón, leader of a local cartel operating in the avocado-growing region around Los Reyes.