A high ranking boss in the Nuevo Laredo based drug cartel, Los Zetas, was arrested by Mexican Marines on Saturday. Juan Fernando Alvarez Cortez, also known as "El Ferrari" was arrested aboard an intercity bus at a toll stop on Highway 85. Mexican authorities say Alvarez Cortez was headed to Nuevo Laredo following a threat to his life from rivals.
Alvarez Cortez was apparently trying to blend in with civilians on the bus. A search of his suitcase turned up an AK-47 rifle with ammunition loaded in magazines, as well as a quantity of drugs.
Mexican National Security Commissioner Monte Alejandro Rubido Garcia announced the arrest of Alvarez Cortez on Tuesday, calling him the highest ranking member of Los Zetas in Ciudad Victoria, capital of Los Zetas home state of Tamaulipas.
Rubido Garcia said Alvarez Cortez was the second prominent cartel leader in Tamaulipas state to be arrested this week as part of a new law enforcement strategy. The first was Fernando Martinez Magana, who was arrested in Monterrey. The strategy, dubbed "Bleeding Tamaulipas" is targeted at a list of the 12 highest ranking cartel members in the state. The list originally comprised 13 names until Zetas co-founder Galdino Mellado Cruz was killed in a shootout with Mexican soldiers on May 9.
