Carlos Beltran Leyva Captured

'Mexican druglord' Carlos Beltran Leyva captured!

Culiacan Sinaloa - A suspected senior member of one of Mexico's major drugs cartels has been arrested, officials say.

Carlos Beltran Leyva was arrested in Culiacan, capital of the northern state of Sinaloa, the public safety office said in a statement.

The arrest was made on Wednesday but only revealed late on Saturday.

Carlos Beltran Leyva, of the Beltran Leyva drugs cartel, is the brother of Arturo Beltran Leyva who was killed two weeks ago in a shoot-out with troops.

Arturo Beltran Leyva was known as "the boss of bosses" among Mexican drugs cartels.

Carlos Beltran Leyva, 40, was carrying a false driver's licence when he was arrested, the official statement said.

He later acknowledged he was Arturo Beltran Leyva's brother, it added.

He was also found to have two guns and ammunition, the statement said.

A source from the security ministry told Reuters that he had since been transported to Mexico City.

The Beltran Leyva Organisation (BLO) was formed after a split in 2008 from the notorious and powerful Sinaloa cartel headed by Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman.

The two gangs operate along Mexico's Pacific coast and analysts say they are involved in a bloody feud for control of lucrative smuggling routes into the US.

'Key member'

Mexican officials have previously described Carlos Beltran Leyva as a key member of the cartel, but it is unclear if he took over as chief after his brother died.

Correspondents say a third brother, Alfredo Beltran Leyva, was arrested in January 2008 and a fourth, Mario, is still at large and sought by police.

Arturo Beltran Leyva was one of Mexico's most wanted men with a $2.3m reward on his head.

He died with four alleged members of his cartel in a raid by troops on a flat in Cuernavaca, just south of Mexico City.

In another story

Mexican police have captured alleged drug lord Carlos Beltran Leyva, just two weeks after his even more powerful brother was killed in a shootout with troops – back-to-back victories in President Felipe Calderon's drug war.

The Public Safety Department said in a statement Saturday night that Carlos Beltran Leyva was arrested in Culiacan, the capital of the Pacific coast state of Sinaloa, where he and several of his brothers were born and allegedly started their gang.

Two weeks ago, his brother Arturo, reputed chief of the Beltran Leyva cartel, was killed in a shootout with Mexican marines in the central city of Cuernavaca. He was the highest-ranking cartel suspect taken down since Calderon sent tens of thousands of soldiers and federal police across the country three years ago to fight brutal drug gangs.

Mexican officials in the past have described Carlos Beltran Levya, 40, as a key member of the gang, but it was unclear if he took over as chief of the cartel after his brother died.

A third brother, Alfredo, was arrested in January 2008. At least one other brother, Mario, remains at large and is listed as one of Mexico's 24 most-wanted drug lords, with a $2 million reward offered for his capture. Carlos Beltran was not included on the list, although the Public Safety Department said there had been a warrant for his arrest since 2008.

Officials from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, whose intelligence information helped track down Arturo Beltran Leyva, have said one of the brothers would likely fill the void. DEA intelligence chief Anthony Placido said last month the U.S. was getting sporadic reports of plots to break Alfredo Beltran Leyva out of prison.

The arrest of Carlos Beltran Leyva sent a strong signal that Calderon's government has no intention of backing down in its campaign to destroy the cartel despite a chilling reprisal attack for Arturo Beltran Leyva' death. Days after he was killed, gunmen massacred the mother and three other relatives of a marine who died in the Dec. 16 shootout.

Calderon vowed he would not be intimidated. However, authorities were far quieter in announcing Carlos Beltran Leyva's capture, waiting three days to make the arrest public.

In its terse statement, the Public Safety Department said federal police found Beltran Leyva on Wednesday carrying two guns, ammunition and a false driver's license identifying him as Carlos Gamez Orpineda. He later acknowledged he was Arturo Beltran Leyva's brother, the department said.

Public Safety officials said there would be no immediate comment beyond the statement.

The Beltran Leyva brothers worked side by side with Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, before they broke away after Gulf Cartel leader Osiel Cardenas was arrested in 2003. They soon seized the lucrative drug routes in northeastern Mexico.

U.S. officials say the Beltran Leyva cartel has carried out heinous killings, including numerous beheadings. The gang also has had great success in buying off public officials, police and others to protect their business and get tips on planned military raids.

While a victory for the Calderon government, the downfall of the Beltran Leyva brothers has raised fears of an intensified turf battle over areas controlled by the beleaguered cartel, leading to more deaths in a war that has already killed more than 15,000 people since Calderon took office in 2006.

In a possible sign of that fight, the bound, beaten bodies of two men were found Wednesday hanging by their necks from a highway overpass in the Sinaloa town of Los Mochis.

Nearby, a message written on a piece of cardboard said in part that "this territory already has an owner." The message appeared to be from the Beltran Leyva cartel.

The Associated Press

Mexico takes down second reputed drug lord in 2 weeks

Culiacan, Sinaloa — Just two weeks after a chilling reprisal attack for troops' killing of the reputed boss of the Beltran Leyva cartel, police have captured one of his brothers, sending a strong message that Mexico will not back down in the drug war.

The Public Safety Department said in a statement Saturday night that Carlos Beltran Leyva was arrested in Culiacan, the capital of the Pacific coast state of Sinaloa, where he and several of his brothers were born and allegedly started their gang.

On Dec. 16, his brother Arturo, the alleged chief of the Beltran Leyva cartel, died during a two-hour shootout with marines in the city of Cuernavaca. He was the highest-ranking drug suspect taken down since President Felipe Calderon sent tens of thousands of soldiers and federal police across the country three years ago to fight brutal drug gangs.

Mexican officials in the past have described Carlos Beltran Levya, 40, as a key member of the gang, but it was unclear if he took over as chief of the cartel after his brother died.

A third brother, Alfredo, was arrested in January 2008. At least one other brother, Mario, remains at large and is listed as one of Mexico's 24 most-wanted drug lords, with a $2 million reward offered for his capture. Carlos Beltran was not included on the list, although the Public Safety Department said there had been a warrant for his arrest since 2008.

The arrest gave Calderon back-to-back victories in the drug war and underscored the government's determination to destroy the Beltran Leyva cartel despite the threat of reprisal attacks.

Days after Arturo Beltran was killed, gunmen massacred the mother and three other relatives of the only marine who died in the Dec. 16 shootout in Cuernavaca. The brutality of the attack — staged just hours after the marine was buried in a public ceremony — shocked Mexicans who have increasingly been numbed by daily reports of drug violence.

Calderon vowed he would not be intimidated by reprisals. However, authorities were far quieter in announcing Carlos Beltran's capture, waiting three days to make the arrest public.

In its terse statement, the Public Safety Department said federal police found Beltran Leyva on Wednesday carrying two guns, ammunition and a false driver's license identifying him as Carlos Gamez Orpineda. He later acknowledged he was Arturo Beltran Leyva's brother, the department said.

Public Safety officials said there would be no immediate comment beyond the statement.

The Beltran Leyva brothers worked side by side with Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, before breaking away in recent years and seizing lucrative drug routes in northeastern Mexico.

Officials from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, whose intelligence information helped track down Arturo Beltran Leyva, have said one of the brothers would likely take his place. DEA intelligence chief Anthony Placido said last month the U.S. was getting sporadic reports of plots to break Alfredo Beltran Leyva out of prison.

The recent blows to the Beltran Leyva cartel mirror the downfall several years ago of two other brothers who ran a notorious, Tijuana-based drug trafficking outfit. In February 2002, police fatally shot drug lord Ramon Arellano Felix, then arrested his brother Benjamin a month later.

Still, it is unclear how much damage has been done to the Beltran Levya cartel, or how much the recent blows to the gang might curb the flow of cocaine and other drugs to the United States.

The Arellano Felix cartel survived the downfall of the two brothers, although it has been increasingly in disarray, fighting for turf against a breakaway gang.

While a victory for the Calderon government, the recent success against the Beltran Leyva brothers has raised fears of a similar intensified battle over areas controlled by the beleaguered cartel. Already, more than 15,000 people have been killed in drug violence since Calderon took office in 2006.

In a possible sign of that fight, the bound, beaten bodies of two men were found Wednesday hanging by their necks from a highway overpass in the Sinaloa town of Los Mochis.

Nearby, a message written on a piece of cardboard said in part that "this territory already has an owner." The message appeared to be from the Beltran Leyva cartel.

Profile

Carlos Beltran Leyva, a native of La Palma in Badiraguato, Sinaloa, is the brother of Arturo Beltran, alias "El Barbas" who died during a clash with Mexican Marines in Cuernavaca, Morelos, on Wednesday December 16.


One more of the remaining Beltran brothers was arrested Saturday night by members of the Federal Police who is an alleged members of the Sinaloa cartel led by his brother.

he along with his brothers controlled the operations of drug transportation, money laundering, protection money and recruitment of sicarios.

His criminal career began with his brothers who were commanders of the Sinaloa Cartel led by Joaquin Guzman Loera, "El Chapo," Guzman.

His brothers Alfredo, Hector, Mario were in charge of two groups of murderers known as the "Pelones" in the state of Guerrero and "Los Güeros" in the state of Sonora, where they carried out killings for the Sinaloa cartel.

In 2008, the Beltran Leyva joined the new leaders of the Gulf Cartel, a criminal organization known as Los Zetas. This allowed the U.S. government to legally seize the financial infrastructure of the Beltran Leyva, and also to support the Mexican authorities in their capture.

Through their leader of sicarios, Edgar Valdez Villarreal, aka "La Barbie" or "El Tigrillo", the Beltran Leyva extended their dominance through several states of the Republic: Guerrero, Chiapas, Querétaro, Quintana Roo, Sonora, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, Mexico State and Federal District.

The capture of Arturo Beltran Leyva, alias "El Barbas" was one of the most important objectives of the Attorney General's Office (PGR), and this Saturday the strongest criminal organizations in the country was dealt with another blow.

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