Authorities in Tecate arrested a primary school teacher on May 29 on charges of child pornography and aggravated pederasty after allegations he inappropriately touched underage female students at his school.
The suspect, identified as Néstor N, worked at the Ricardo Flores Magón elementary school in Tecate’s Fundadores neighborhood. Under Mexican legal practice, authorities withhold suspects’ full surnames during ongoing investigations.
Charges Carry Severe Penalties Under Mexican Law
Néstor N faces two serious criminal charges. Child pornography is a federal offense in Mexico, carrying prison sentences of up to 12 years. Aggravated pederasty, which involves sexual acts committed against minors by a person in a position of trust or authority, is among the most heavily penalized sex crimes under Baja California’s state penal code.
The aggravated classification applies because the suspect held a position of authority over the victims as their teacher. In Baja California, aggravated pederasty can carry sentences ranging from 10 to 30 years in prison, depending on case circumstances. These charges are not eligible for bail.
School Located in Central Tecate Neighborhood
The Ricardo Flores Magón school sits in the Fundadores neighborhood, a residential area in central Tecate. The border city of roughly 110,000 residents lies about 35 miles east of Tijuana and directly south of the Tecate, California, port of entry.
Tecate is home to a small but established community of American residents and cross-border families. Some expat families in the region enroll children in Mexican public schools for bilingual education.
Authorities have not disclosed how many victims are involved or how the investigation began. It remains unclear whether school administrators or parents first reported the allegations. The Baja California State Attorney General’s Office (FGE) typically handles prosecutions of this nature at the state level, while child pornography charges may also involve federal jurisdiction.
No further details about the timeline of the alleged offenses have been released. The case remains under active investigation.
This story was first reported by Zeta Tijuana.