Hector Beltran Leyva, one of Mexico’s most notorious drug lords, has been captured by soldiers in a Mexican restaurant. He was arrested in a town located in central Mexico where he had been hiding from authorities while posing as a local businessman. Leyva was the leader of a cartel known as the ABL and was responsible for drugs trafficking not only in the US but also in Europe. On top of drug dealing, Leyva and his cartel also dealt with murder, torture and kidnapping. He also transported weapons and ammunition to the US and managed a complex network of corruption and money laundering.
‘Hector Beltran Leyva is linked to at least 29 previous charges, with three arrest orders from this Attorney General of the Republic and from a federal order,’ said Tomas Zeron, who is the head of the attorney general’s criminal investigations unit. The United States of America offered a reward of $5 million for his arrest, while Mexican authorities raised up to $2 million for any piece of information that could lead to his capture. After an 11-month-long investigation, Mexican troops finally closed in on Hector Beltran Leyva in a seafood restaurant in San Miguel de Allende. He was living there an apparently quiet life. He kept a discreet, low-profile lifestyle so that he avoided attracting any suspicions. Thus he possessed no luxury cars or other high-end, eye-catching items and posed as a simple local businessman. His capture was made without a single fire being shot.
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Leyva took control over the ABL cartel in 2009 when the at-the-time leader and his brother, Arturo Leyva, was killed in a shootout with Mexican troops. Arturo Leyva’s death was described then as a ‘crippling blow to one of the most violent cartels in the world.’ Leyva also has two more brothers that are currently in prison. Although further DNA testing has to be done in order to confirm Leyva’s identity, his capture is seen as a major step further and a victory for Mexico’s president, Enrique Peña Nieto.