Alleged Beltran Leyva cartel boss nabbed in Mexico

Hector Beltran Leyva, the purported head of a feared drug gang allegedly run by his family, became the fourth brother to fall when soldiers grabbed him while dining at a seafood restaurant. No shots were fired during the operation in San Miguel de Allende, a popular enclave for foreigners and artists in the central state of Guanajuato, federal criminal investigations chief Tomas Zeron said Wednesday night. With the arrest, Mexico’s government landed another high-profile blow against the country’s cartels. At least nine capos have been killed or captured by security forces since 2009, including elusive Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, one of the world’s most wanted men.

Obviously this is not the Beltran Leyvas’ organization in its strongest moment … but it continues to be a criminal organization capable of generating localized violence in some states.

Mexican security expert Jorge Chabat

Mexican authorities have said Beltran Leyva, 49, assumed leadership of the family’s cartel after his brother Arturo was killed by troops in a gunbattle in late 2009. Two other brothers are behind bars for their involvement in the cartel. The Beltran Leyva gang terrorized parts of central Mexico for years, including Morelos state to the south of Mexico City. It declined somewhat after the brothers’ arrests and killing, but the U.S. Treasury Department said last November that the cartel appeared to be reorganizing and regaining some power.

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