Authorities in Mexico revealed the detainment of a Gulf Cartel chief, as reported by The Christian Science Monitor. Authorities said that the cartel head was the brain behind the majority of the violent activities in Reynosa, a Mexican city bordering Mc Allen, Texas on the south of Rio Grande. Reynosa is part of the state of Tamaulipas.
The Gulf cartel mastermind was allegedly captured on Friday. Jose Tiburcio Hernandez Fuentes was since transported to a Mexico City detainment facility. Fuentes is otherwise known by his alias, "El Gafe" (The Jinxed One)."
The capture of Fuentes ensued amid a gun shot battle that occurred among Mexico's policemen and army members, and Jose's 60 men armed with guns. Fuentes' men allegedly attempted to put a stop on the Gulf cartel chief's capture.
Fuentes was named the head of the Gulf cartel in ascension. The ascension of Fuentes comes in lieu of the imprisonment or murder of the previous chief cartels.
The Gulf Cartel vs. Zetas turf wars have made Reynosa a violent city in Mexico in the previous year. The two groups fought over competitive drug smuggling and other crime activities.
Head of the National Security Commission, Alejandro Rubido, cited that tracing Fuentes' whereabouts posed a challenge, as reported in Al Jazeera. According to Rubido, Fuentes has impersonated 8 fraudulent idenities so far, before his dramatic capture.
Mexico's president, Enrique Pena Nieto, has made it a goal to maintain peace in his country. Nieto was elected the leader of this Central American country in 2012. Mexico's homicide incidents have since decreased. However, many residents still live in mostly violent environments all over the country.
The massive drug cartel activities in Mexico have plagued the many parts of the country for quite some time now.
Times of India cited that a Jalisco state chief prosecutor in Mexico, Luis Carlos Najera, described the multiple cartel heads as:
"[They] were waiting for the moment when they felt strong to start this escalation."
An unknown resident in Ocotlan, Mexico, who requested anonymity, shared her fear, saying:
"My house was hit by 138 bullets."
On April 6, a police clash in Zacoalco, Mexico, a police chief lost his life. Maria Huerta, an onlooker at the crime scene, said of the perpetrators:
"[They] stuck a knife in his heart with a message."
Huerta is the owner of a shop located just in front of the horrendous crime scene.