The Mexican Army captured Gerardo Álvarez Vázquez ––also known as El Indio, El Chayán, and El Cantante— one of the closest collaborators to the deceased drug boss Arturo Beltrán Leyva. He is considered to be in charge of maintaining relations with Central and South American cartels.
“El Indio” has been identified as one of the key figures responsible for the wave of violence and executions in Morelos and Guerrero as part of the internal “war” for power in the Beltrán Leyva drug cartel. Authorities from the Federal Attorney General’s Office (Procuraduría General de la República) said that Álvarez Vázquez was one of Arturo Beltrán Leyva’s most trusted men. In the structural organization of the cartel he was even above “El Barbie”, who was chief of the groups execution sect.
According to Milenio, reports by the federal government state that “El Indio” and “El Barbie” formalized an alliance initiating a battle for control of the drug organization against the brother of the deceased leader, Héctor Beltrán Leyva, “El General,” and Sergio Villarreal Barragán, “El Grande”.
The Secretariat of National Defense (Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional) reported that “El Indio” was detained after a shoot out in Bosques de la Herradura, a municipality of Huixquilucan in the State of Mexico, where authorities also managed to detain seventeen other suspects. Two others were injured in the confrontation while died. Ten rifles and two handguns were secured.
Sources:
Informador. “Detienen a 18 tras agresión en Estado de México.” Informador. 21 Abril, 2010.
Salazar, Alzaga. “Cae el enlace de los Beltrán Leyva con Sudamérica.” 22 Abril, 2010.
La Cronica de Hoy. “Felicita la DEA a México por captura de El Indio.” 22 Abril, 2010.
