Authorities in Nuevo León have arrested the presumed leader of the state’s cell of the Northeast Cartel (CDN) who is also a longtime member of the Zetas cartel.

Rodolfo Garza Briseño, 38, was detained after months of investigations and intelligence gathering by the State Investigations Agency (AEI).

The Nuevo León Attorney General’s Office said five other members of the gang were also arrested.

The presumed gang members were arrested on charges of drug trafficking and weapons possession after a series of operations were carried out in San Nicolás de los Garza and Ciudad Apodaca, which are part of the Monterrey metropolitan area.

Prosecutors said that drugs, firearms and cash were seized in the operations and that the suspects are being investigated for violent crimes carried out in recent months in Nuevo León.

Since March 2018, the AEI has executed almost 300 arrest warrants related to homicides specifically attributed to organized crime.

In 2018, 98 arrests were made, followed by 184 in 2019 and 12 have already been made this year. Of all those arrested, 183 were affiliated with the Northeast Cartel.

Source: El Universal (sp), Excélsior (sp)