Mexican authorities arrest Tamaulipas massacre suspect

Mexican authorities arrest Tamaulipas massacre suspect

2011-07-02 03:20:32 GMT+7 (ICT)

MEXICO CITY (BNO NEWS) -- Mexican authorities on Thursday arrested a member of "Los Zetas" drug cartel and suspected leader of the cell that perpetrated the Tamaulipas massacre last April.

Abraham Barrios Caporal, also known as "Erasmo," was detained along three members of his criminal organization at the service of the Zetas cartel which was tasked with kidnapping and murdering people.

The Mexican Army operation took place in Coatzacoalcos city, Veracruz State in the eastern part of the country, near the Gulf of Mexico. The other three detainees were identified as Jhonny Enriquez Carmona, Luis Cabrera Velazquez and Ramon Evangelista Martinez.

In addition, a hostage was freed from the residence where the four Zetas members were located. The Army said that two assault rifles, two handguns and a vehicle with fake license plates were seized as well.

Barrios admitted his involvement in the killing and burial of 193 people who were located in mass graves in the town of San Fernando, Tamaulipas last April; the same place where 72 Central and South American immigrants were found in August 2010.

Furthermore, Barrios said that the murders were part of a Zetas operation that consisted in stopping buses heading towards the U.S. border in order to identify and kill members of the rival "Cartel del Golfo." He, however, did not specify if the 193 bodies were members of their former allies, the Gulf drug cartel.

Barrios added that he and his cell fled from Tamaulipas on April 13, about a week after the massacre. With the arrest the four Zetas members, Mexican authorities have arrested 81 individuals suspected of participating in the 2011 San Fernando mass murders.

It was also revealed that Barrios was the second-in-command for Martin Omar Estrada Luna who was arrested last April. Estrada, also known as "El Kilo," was detained for his involvement in the 2010 San Fernando mass graves.

Los Zetas drug cartel was founded by deserters from the Mexican Army Special Forces as well as Guatemalan soldiers. It began as the enforcer gang for the Gulf Cartel specialized in brutal assassinations, including beheadings and mutilations.

The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) considers them responsible for much of the escalation of violence along its Southwest Border. It is known for its use of extreme violence on law enforcement officials, innocent citizens, informants, and rival drug gangs.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-07-02