Mexico nabs suspected leader of Zetas cartel, authorities say

MEXICO CITY — Authorities said Friday they have arrested dual U.S.Mexican citizen Jose Maria Guizar Valencia, the alleged leader of the Zetas drug cartel.

Mexican National Security Commissioner Renato Sales identified the suspect only as “Jose Maria,” but a federal official who was not authorized to be quoted by name confirmed Guizar Valencia’s last name.

Guizar Valencia is known by his Zetas code name, “Z 43.” The U.S. had offered a $5 million reward for his arrest.

Sales said Guizar Valencia was arrested Thursday in Mexico City’s trendy Roma neighborhood, which is known for its restaurants and cafes.

The commissioner said the leader was one of the generators of violence and had directed Zetas’ drug trafficking and other activities in southern Mexico.

Under a ‘Wanted’ page online, the U.S. Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs said Guizar Valencia is “responsible for the importation of thousands of kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine to the United States on a yearly basis” and faces separate U.S. drug trafficking indictments in Texas and Virginia.

It also said he had taken over territory in neighboring Guatemala. “Los Zetas, under the command of Guizar Valencia, have murdered an untold number of Guatemalan civilians during the systematic overtake of the Guatemalan border region with Mexico during recent years,” the bureau said.

It said Guizar Valencia was born in Tulare, Calif.

The Zetas, formed by deserters of a military unit, are known for indiscriminate brutality.