Alleged Arzate associate Beto Leyva arrested in Tijuana
Original reporting: Noroeste Seguridad
What happened
Omar García Harfuch linked José Alberto “N” to migrant smuggling, kidnapping and money laundering, saying U.S. intelligence sharing helped locate him.
Reporting and context
Federal forces arrested José Alberto “N,” known as “Beto Leyva,” in Tijuana, Baja California, identifying him as a suspected associate of Sinaloa Cartel figures René and Alfonso Arzate García, according to Noroeste Seguridad.
Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch announced the arrest and said investigators believe the detainee coordinated migrant smuggling from Tijuana toward San Diego and San Ysidro, California. He also linked him to migrant kidnappings in which families in the United States were allegedly asked to pay for their relatives’ release.
Noroeste Seguridad reported that Army personnel, the National Guard and the federal Attorney General’s Office’s Criminal Investigation Agency participated in the operation. The Arzate García brothers, known as “La Rana” and “El Aquiles,” are identified in the report as leaders of a Sinaloa Cartel faction operating in Sinaloa, Baja California and Durango.
García Harfuch alleged that José Alberto was linked to businesses used to launder the organization’s money and to a network obtaining weapons and stolen vehicles in the United States. The official said he has an outstanding U.S. arrest warrant and a record of previous arrests there.
The capture followed exchanges of information and intelligence with U.S. authorities, particularly Homeland Security Investigations. According to the Security Cabinet’s account cited by Noroeste, investigators identified places the suspected operator frequented and his movements.
A control judge authorized searches of properties in Tijuana, where an interagency operation led to the arrest for suspected involvement in organized crime. José Alberto was placed at the disposal of the relevant prosecutor to determine the next legal steps. The source provides no seizure totals or additional operation-wide arrest count.
Original publication: https://www.noroeste.com.mx/seguridad/cae-en-tijuana-presunto-operador-de-la-rana-y-el-aquiles-del-cartel-de-sinaloa-GB27265157