A Mexican cartel leader José La Kena García, whose gang abducted four Americans and killed two of them in March 2023, was arrested at a mall in northeastern Mexico on Thursday.
A Mexican drug cartel leader whose faction is alleged to have kidnapped four U.S. tourists, killing two of them, was arrested with his associates in shopping mall on Friday
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican marines have detained one of the top leaders of the Gulf drug cartel, the gang that kidnapped four Americans and killed two of them in March 2023. The public safety department of the border state of Tamaulipas said the suspect was arrested in the neighboring state of Nuevo Leon, and identified him as "La Kena." That was the nickname the state previously listed on a Tamaulipas wanted poster for José Alberto García Vilano in 2022. Mexico s national arrest registry said García Vilano was taken into custody on Thursday. Tamaulipas state prosecutors had offered a $150,000 reward for his arrest.
Mexico s Navy Department issued a statement, saying the marines detained "one of the key leaders of one of the most powerful criminal organizations in Tamaulipas."