Mexican authorities arrested a feared cartel boss whose gunmen used car bombs during to bust him out of prison last year.
Known as “El Michoacano,” Jose Artemio Maldonado is a leading figure within the Carteles Unidos who made headlines last year after his men set off four car bombs and used an armored vehicle to break him out of a prison in the state of Hidalgo. During the jailbreak, the gunmen clashed with guards and were successful in extracting their boss and eight associates.
This week, Mexico’s National Guard tracked down El Michoacano and brother Gerardo “El Shrek” Maldonado to a house in Mexico City. Authorities were able to raid and arrest the men without incident. Other cartel members who escaped prison were previously re-captured.
According to information released by Mexico’s Citizen Protection and Security Secretariat, El Michoacano had returned to criminal activity and was leading Carteles Unidos in turf wars against Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG). Carteles Unidos is an alliance of smaller criminal organizations in western and central Mexico with the backing of the Sinaloa Cartel against the CJNG. Most of the violence in Mexico is linked to the power struggle between the Sinaloa Cartel and CJNG.
Editor’s Note: Breitbart Texas traveled to the Mexican States of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and other areas to recruit citizen journalists willing to risk their lives and expose the cartels silencing their communities. Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles are published in both English and in their original Spanish. This article was written by Jose Luis Lara, a former leading member who helped start the Self-Defense Movement in Michoacán.