Press Releases 09
Mexican Law Enforcement Captures Vicente Carrillo Leyva of the Juarez Cartel
Mexico City, April 2, 2009 – On April 2, 2009, Mexican federal law enforcement officials announced the April 1 capture in Mexico City of Vicente Carrillo Leyva, a leader of the Juarez cartel, one of Mexico’s most ruthless organized criminal gangs which controls one of the primary transportation routes for illegal drug shipments into the United States. This is the latest in a series of arrests of drug kingpins in Mexico, and underscores the determination of President Calderon and his administration to take the fight directly to the drug cartels. The head of the U.S. Mission in Mexico, Chargé d’affaires Leslie Bassett extended congratulations to the Government of Mexico and Mexican law enforcement on this successful action.
Carrillo Leyva, the son of the deceased head of the Juarez cartel, Amado Carrillo Fuentes, and the nephew of Vicente Carrillo Fuentes, the cartel’s current leader, is believed responsible for directing cartel actions and sequestering illicit funds. His capture was the result of the coordinated work of the federal Attorney General’s Office, through the Office of Organized Crime Investigations, together with the Secretary of Public Security, through the Federal Police.
Carrillo Leyva had been living under the assumed name of Alejandro Peralta Alvarez in a wealthy neighborhood of Mexico City. His capture marks another significant victory for Mexican law enforcement.
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