Beto Leyva arrested in Tijuana, García Harfuch says
Original reporting: Ríodoce Narcotráfico
What happened
Omar García Harfuch linked the detainee to the Arzate brothers and alleged migrant smuggling, kidnappings and money laundering. Ríodoce reports that the arrest followed judge-authorized searches.
Reporting and context
Federal forces arrested José Alberto “N,” known as “Beto Leyva,” in Tijuana, Baja California, in an organized-crime investigation, according to Ríodoce, citing Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch. The secretary identified him as an alleged associate of René and Alfonso Arzate García, known respectively as “La Rana” and “El Aquiles.”
García Harfuch said investigators believe the suspect coordinated the smuggling of people from Tijuana toward San Diego and San Ysidro, California. He also linked him to migrant kidnappings in which relatives in the United States were asked to pay for their release.
Ríodoce reported that authorities also associate the detainee with businesses allegedly used to launder money for the organization and a network obtaining weapons and stolen vehicles in the United States.
The arrest took place during searches authorized by a judge. Army and National Guard personnel participated alongside the Criminal Investigation Agency of Mexico’s federal prosecutor’s office, with information supplied by U.S. authorities.
The report says the detainee has an active U.S. arrest warrant. It describes the Arzate brothers as leaders of a Sinaloa Cartel faction operating in Sinaloa, Baja California and Durango. The source supplies no seizure totals or other numerical measure of the alleged network’s activity.
Source: Ríodoce.