MEXICO CITY, Sept 26 (Reuters) – The Mexican navy said on
Wednesday it had captured one of the leaders of the notoriously
brutal Zetas drug cartel, delivering a boost to the government’s
efforts to bring the gangs to heel.
The navy said it had caught the man it believed to be Ivan
Velazquez in the central state of San Luis Potosi, where the
Zetas have fought an internal feud in recent weeks.
Known as “Z-50” or “El Taliban,” Velazquez is one of the
leading figures in the Zetas. The gang was formed by a group of
army deserters who acted as enforcers for the Gulf Cartel before
splitting with their former employers in 2010.
Velazquez is one of Mexico’s m ost-wanted kingpins . Since
2009, more than 20 drug kingpins have been caught or killed.
The ruthless Zetas have perpetrated some of the most
sickening acts of Mexico’s drug war and continued to expand even
as rival gangs joined forces against them.
On Monday, the Mexican navy arrested 35 members of the
federal police force who were suspected of working for the Zetas
in the eastern state of Veracruz and neighboring San Luis
Potosi.
This month, Mexican authorities announced the capture of the
head of the Gulf Cartel, Jorge Costilla, alias “El Coss.”
About 60,000 people have been killed in drug-related
violence during outgoing President Feilpe Calderon’s term.
