Mexico’s Secretary of National Defense arrested Heriberto Rodriguez Hernandez, alleged leader of the ‘Tropa del Infierno’ (Troop of Hell), which serves the Northeast Cartel, on Monday.
The arrested man, known as ‘Negrolo’ and identified as a generator of violence in the Tamaulipas region, was detained in the city of Nuevo Laredo, in northern Mexico, reports Reforma news agency.
Mexican authorities have reported that the detainee has been flown to Mexico City to be handed over to the Attorney General’s Office.
«Today at dawn there was a confrontation in Nuevo Laredo, a person was arrested, who was the leader of a criminal group, and there were reactions, but the arrest was carried out and there are elements to prove that he was responsible for other violent acts in that area, and he has already been transferred to Mexico City», informed the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, in declarations reported by the newspaper ‘Jornada’.
The capture of the cartel leader has provoked shootouts in different parts of the city, causing the closure of school activities and the US consulate due to the risk situation, reports the newspaper ‘Excelsior’.
The Mexican city of Nuevo Laredo, located on the border with the United States, was the scene this Monday morning of several violent incidents that have led local authorities to suspend classes and paralyze public transportation services to avoid possible risks during the day.
The mayor, Carmen Lilia Canturosas, advocated on Facebook to «take care of the integrity of the student community and all teaching staff,» which is why classes were suspended at the most basic levels. At the university, distance learning was chosen at least in the morning shift.
