Army troops captured nine suspected Los Zetas cartel gunmen in Vallecillos, a city in the northern Mexican state of Nuevo Leon, where 21 hired guns died over the weekend, the Defense Secretariat said.
The suspects were paraded before reporters Monday at the Nuevo Leon State Investigations Agency, or AEI, headquarters in Monterrey, the state capital.
The gunmen were captured on Sunday near the town of San Carlos, the secretariat said.
The Department of Defense identified El Chabelo as the alleged leader of a zeta cell , organized in drug sales in the municipality of Sabinas Hidalgo, Vallecillos Agualeguas and Paras, and part of the state of Coahuila. Garza was arrested in an operation involving military, Federal Police and Agencia Estatal de Investigaciones (Investigation Department).
The suspects belonged to the Los Zetas cell led by Marco Garza de Leon, who was arrested over the weekend, the secretariat said.
A total of 21 gunmen were killed in Vallecillos over the weekend, including three on Friday, nine on Saturday and nine on Sunday.
Garza de Leon, the suspected Los Zetas boss in several cities in Nuevo Leon, and three associates were captured by army troops on Friday in Vallecillos.
Army troops, marines and Federal Police officers moved into the area after Garza de Leon’s arrest to deal with Los Zetas, which had a training camp in Vallecillos, located about 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of Monterrey.
Garza de Leon was detained in a joint operation staged by the army, the Federal Police and the AEI in Vallecillo.
He was in charge of drug sales for Los Zetas in four rural cities in northern Nuevo Leon, where he also staged kidnappings, ran extortion rackets and smuggled drugs, officials said.
Nuevo Leon has been battered by a wave of drug-related violence since March 2010, when three rival cartels reportedly went to war with Los Zetas, considered Mexico’s most violent criminal organization.
Los Zetas has been battling an alliance of the Gulf, Sinaloa and La Familia drug cartels, known as the Nueva Federacion, for control of the Monterrey metropolitan area and smuggling routes into the United States.
The most brutal incident in the turf war occurred on Aug. 25, when suspected Zetas gunmen set fire to Monterrey’s Casino Royale, killing at least 52 gamblers and employees trapped inside, most of whom died of smoke inhalation.
Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano, known as “El Lazca,” deserted from the Mexican army in 1999 and formed Los Zetas with three other soldiers, all members of an elite special operations unit, becoming the armed wing of the Gulf drug cartel.
After several years on the payroll of the Gulf cartel, Los Zetas, considered Mexico’s most violent criminal organization, went into the drug business on their own account and now control several lucrative territories.
Source: EFE
I've noticed that the weapons taken lately from the zetas are pretty slim pickings. A few pistols, a couple AKs maybe and a few ammo clips.
ReplyDeleteI think the Zetas are running on fumes these days. Seems every few days 20 or 30 zetas are killed. There seems to be an endless supply of losers who just can't wait to sign up for a few months of murder and mayhem, followed by a brutal death or prison. Viva la Mexico!
I don't understand why they don't have them handcuffed or zip-ties. On signal they could rush the guys with guns. What if they practices that kind of stuff and trained for it? No way? Not that sophisticated? Probably not. I guess the cops know that it's not a team of Kaibles or Mex Special Forces that they have caught. These are 2nd stringers being shown?
ReplyDeleteSure a few might get hit but they might be able to shoot their way out especially if they were able to grab hostages and officials from the crowd of onlookers.
@8:50
ReplyDeleteyou do notice they each have a Soldier behind them?
plus im sure many more off stage
~~~el spaceio~~~
They all look like a bunch of out off shape pendejos. Kill them and get the scum over with.
ReplyDelete9:10 PM...Mexico doesn't have that many prisons. Why rush them or attempt an escape when you know the back door will open in a month or two. Getting busted in a round up is routine. @ 8:50 PM...That probably answers part of you question about fewer guns being confiscated too. They may have known the round up was coming so they stashed their guns. These guys know what's up. They get inside information.
ReplyDeleteJobs, not jails. As long as there is no employment opportunity, the men will resort to whatever it takes to make a living. I doubt there are many jobs available at the minimum wage of about $50 a week. Most of these guys are just hopeless and desperate. Calderon and this drug war has run Mexico and the people into the ground. How in the hell can a man make a decent living, and support his family in Mexico. Most of these men y'all are calling scumbags and wanting them slaughtered are really just men that are dirt poor and desperate.
ReplyDeletepeople stop putting the blame on Calderon. he tried to do a good thing but if the zetas didn't excist he would of have done a good job.
ReplyDeleteEver notice how U.S LE agents help the peeps by draping a hood or something over their faces when being walked past T.V. Cameras? In Mexico, the perps stand upright and don't dare hide their face. It is not by coincidence. The bleeding heart liberal are not able to control the treatment of prisoners in Mexico. They face the camera or else. I'm O.K. With that. Also I love to see that nearly every suspect is flanked on both sides by much taller military servicemen. Lately the trend is to display the scum in an orange road guard vest instead of the tough looking body armor. JaJa!
ReplyDeleteIve heard that most of the captured sicarios never reach prison, they are murdered by the military I don't know if its true or not, but remember that zeta that was captured by the marina, and next day was found murdered outside of monterrey...think logical guys these scums captured are killed afterwards
ReplyDelete-el ?-
I,m from paras and was with some friends a couple years ago and Marco was there, he though he was the shit, now look where he is...
ReplyDeleteIf it can be confirmed that a captured common criminal is a cartel member (gangbanger who never grew up) they should immdiately be executed in public in the most gruesome way possible so that others will learn what will happen if they choose the life of a loser like they are. Burn them to death or feed them to tigers in cages one at a time. Harsh? Yes but these are mostly the true sons of satan and thats what it takes for them to comprehand the consequences of thier actions.
ReplyDeleteDFL said...
ReplyDeletedo not lower yourself to their level. a simple coup de grâce (pronounced /ˌkuː də ˈɡrɑːs/, "blow of mercy") means a death blow intended to end the suffering of a wounded creature. The phrase can refer to the killing of civilians or soldiers, friends or enemies, with or without the consent of the sufferer.
All I know is, whoever El Chabelo raped scratched the hell out of his arm.
ReplyDelete