Federal security forces arrested José Antonio Cortes Huerta on Monday in the Mexican state of Nuevo León. He is identified as the leader of a faction linked to the Northeast Cartel and is accused of fuel smuggling, according to the Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), Omar García Harfuch.
The official announced via social media that a 41-year-old woman was also arrested in the operation, and that ten firearms, doses of drugs, eleven vehicles, six motorcycles, computer equipment, and cash were seized.
Agents also secured seven tigers belonging to the criminal leader.
In a subsequent statement, the SSPC added that the arrested Northeast Cartel (CDN) member is 39 years old and was involved in the illicit sale of hydrocarbons from the United States.
Therefore, security forces carried out several raids on residences in various municipalities of Nuevo León: San Pedro Garza García, Monterrey (the capital), and Allende.
Federal sources informed EFE that the properties are linked to Roberto Blanco Cantú, alias “The Lord of the Ships,” the majority shareholder of a company involved in fuel smuggling and the CDN cartel.
“This operation is the result of investigative work stemming from the seizure of a vessel in Tamaulipas. Furthermore, José Antonio Cortes Huerta is identified as one of Roberto Blanco Cantú’s main operators. They are also linked to an investigation (…) for not possessing permits to keep wildlife,” these sources added.
There, they located the man and woman in question, who were arrested and turned over to an agent of the Attorney General’s Office (FGR).
The operation involved personnel from the Navy, the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), the Secretariat of National Defense, the National Guard, and the FGR.
“With these actions, the institutions of the Security Cabinet reaffirm their commitment to working in a coordinated manner to weaken the operational and financial capabilities of criminal groups that affect the population,” authorities emphasized.
The Northeast Cartel is one of the Mexican criminal organizations that Washington designated as a terrorist group last year, following Donald Trump’s return to the presidency.
Source: aristeguinoticias
