Mexican authorities reported on Monday the capture of Mario Alberto 'N', 43, the nephew of former Gulf Cartel leader Osiel Cárdenas Guillén. The capture took place in the northern state of Nuevo León. The detainee, also known as 'Betito' or 'Betillo', was apprehended along with two accomplices in possession of weapons and drugs on Sunday night by agents of the Metropolitan Coordination Group. The operation involved personnel from the federal Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection, the National Guard, the Defense Department, the Attorney General's Office (FGR), and the State Investigation Agency (AEI). The detention stemmed from information about armed civilians in the parking lot of a shopping center south of Monterrey, the capital of Nuevo León. Personnel were deployed to locate the suspects, who were detected at the scene in a pickup truck. When identified, they attempted to flee but were intercepted. Along with Mario Alberto 'N', Raúl 'N', 45, and Kevin Alberto 'N', 19, were detained. They seized a long weapon, a short weapon, two magazines, seven cartridges, 44 bags with a substance resembling crystal, a digital scale, and cash. The men were turned over to investigative authorities. This is not the first time 'El Betito' has been detained by Mexican authorities; in 2019, the Attorney General's Office captured him in an operation in the central State of Mexico, although a judge ordered his release in 2022. Osiel Cárdenas Guillén, who served as leader of the Gulf Cartel (CDG), was arrested in March 2003 accused of crimes such as organized crime and health damage in various forms. He was admitted to a maximum-security prison in Mexico, now known as Altiplano, until in March 2005 the Mexican government granted his extradition to the United States. He was handed over to the US government in 2007 and faced 19 charges in a Houston, Texas, court. In December 2024, he was deported to Mexico and is currently detained to face charges for various crimes committed in this country. Under his command, the CDG reached a high level of violence through the creation of the Zetas, an armed enforcement wing made up of former elite soldiers.
