09/15/11 – This week has resulted in the capture and arrest of quite a few members of organized crime groups in Mexico. 19 members of La Familia were caught in the city of Jilotepec in Edomex in addition to 13 Los Zetas members caught in Veracruz. Edomex’s state attorney general Alfredo Castillo Cervantes revealed in a press conference that the La Familia members were involved in 14 known kidnappings as well as five homicides, including the murder of an Edomex police officer last August. These members were found guilty of kidnapping students and tradesmen in Aculco, Chapa de Mota, Jilotepec, Polotitlán, Soyaniquilpan, and Villa del Carbón. Upon arrest, four vehicles, nine firearms, and 600 gun cartridges were confiscated. In addition, Elizabeth Lemus Guerrero, a member of Jilotepec’s Public Ministry (Ministerio Público), was arrested after it was discovered that she had been disclosing confidential information regarding the agency’s investigation into La Familia’s activities to members of the criminal organization.
The Zetas members were caught after the Mexican Navy (Secretaría de Marina, SEMAR) followed an anonymous tip that suspicious vehicles with heavily armed men were seen in the town of San Julián. According to the Secretary of SEMAR, one of the detainees, Héctor Tejeda Vázquez, or “El Pitufo,” is suspected of killing a sailor last June. After being taken into custody, the members admitted that they have been involved in drug trafficking and have committed other severe crimes like kidnapping. Among the items that SEMAR confiscated are 12 large firearms, 25 grenades, 2035 cartridges for a variety of different guns, marijuana, and cocaine.
Sources:
EFE. “Caen 13 zetas en Veracruz; tenían 25 granadas.” Vanguardia. September 12, 2011.
Notimex. “Caen en Edomex 19 integrantes de “La Familia.” Azteca Noticias. September 12, 2011.
