Hector Beltran Leyva is the remaining leader of the Arturo Beltran Leyva (ABL) cartel in Central Mexico. The cartel was named for Beltran Leyva’s brother, Arturo, who was killed in a shootout by Mexican troops in 2009. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration referred to Arturo’s death as “a crippling blow to one of the most violent cartels in the world,” reports the LA Times.
Security experts allege that after the 2009 takedown, the cartel rose again, developing alliances with Los Zetas and the Juarez cartel, two other powerful and violent crime syndicates in Mexico.
Though two of Beltran Leyva’s other brothers were imprisoned for involvement in the cartel, Mexican and US officials claim that ABL continued to gain territory and is active in 10 states. The ABL cartel is responsible for arms trafficking to and from the US; kidnapping, murder, and torture in Mexico; and drug trafficking to the US and Europe, reports BBC.
Tomas Zeron de Lucio, the director for criminal investigation for Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office, said Beltran Leyva’s arrest followed an 11-month operation tracking his associates and schemes.
The drug lord had been living a low-profile life in central Mexico. Zeron alleges that despite that discretion, Beltran Leyva led one of the major drug cartels in the country with a large network of corruption and money laundering, reports CNN.
The Mexican and US governments had offered rewards for Beltran Leyva of US$ 2.5 million and US$ 5 million, respectively.
