Vallejo stepped down temporarily for health reasons on March 7, 2013, and Jesús Reyna García took over as interim governor. He returned to work on March 18 but participated in only two public events before asking for indefinite leave on April 9.[6] After a liver transplant, he returned to work on October 21, 2013.[7]
On behalf of the federal government, security commissioner Alfredo Castillo Cervantes cracked down on drug trafficking and violence. In April 2014; Reyna García was arrested for possible ties to the Knights Templar Cartel. He was convicted a month later, as Vallejo announced that he planned to ask for permission to miss work for a health check.[7]
In August 2014, Vallejo's son Rodrigo Vallejo Mora was arrested after a video surfaced of him meeting with Servando Gómez Martínez, fugitive leader of the Knights Templar Cartel, a criminal organization based in Michoacán.[8][verification needed][9] Governor Vallejo stated, "[D]icen por ahí que hay videos que involucran a alguien de mi familia con los criminales. Quiero decirles que en mi familia no hay delincuentes". ("They say that there are videos that show a member of my family with criminals. I want to tell you that there are no delinquents in my family.") He resigned on June 18 for health reasons.[7]