Borderland Beat posted by Mars220 Republished from Latino Fox News
The suspected leader of a gang involved in kidnappings, drug trafficking and extortion rackets was arrested by the Federal Police in western Mexico, the Government Secretariat said.
Marco Antonio Esparza Hernandez, also known as Miguel Angel Zapata Moreno, was arrested in Morelia, the capital of Michoacan state, the secretariat said in a statement.
The gang boss was living in the Jardines del Toreo district of Morelia.
Officers confirmed the suspect's identity and "established a security perimeter, arresting this person while he was driving a private vehicle without a single shot being fired," the secretariat said.
The suspect had worked as a gunman for Arnoldo Rueda Medina, one of the leaders of the Familia Michoacana drug cartel, and ran a network of informers for the drug trafficker, the secretariat said, citing information gathered by investigators.
Esparza Hernandez reported to Enrique Plancarte Solis, one of the leaders of the Caballeros Templarios drug cartel, who provided him with orders on running extortion rackets, carrying out hits, distributing drugs and stealing fuel in Guanajuato, a state in central Mexico.
The suspect parted ways with Servando Gomez Martinez, the only Caballeros Templarios leader still at large, when the cartel was weakened.
The 41-year-old suspect was carrying two loaded rifles and 500 grams of a substance that appeared to be cocaine at the time of his arrest.
The suspect and the evidence seized in the case were turned over to federal prosecutors.