Authorities in Guatemala have arrested today the alleged cartel leader of the Zetas who led the massacre of 27 peasants on 13 May in the north. The Elder Guatemala Estuardo Morales, aka El Pelon has been arrested in the city of San Benito, in the northern department of Petén, near where the slaughter occurred.
"Apparently this person was responsible for leading the group that murdered the peasants," confirmed President Alvaro Colom told reporters. Morales is, according to security forces, a "high command" in the structure of the group Z 200, the band of gunmen of Los Zetas to which the authorities attributed the killing of 27 peasants, including two women, in Los Cocos farm, 630 miles north of Guatemala City, on 13 May.
According to research by the authorities, the victims were laborers on the farm of Guatemalan Otoniel Salguero, unaccounted for since the day of the killing and being linked to drug trafficking. Colom explained that the capture was made possible by Morales in the important work "of the state intelligence agents working in Petén, regional department since last week remains under siege in order to facilitate the operations of security forces pursuit of the murderers.
The Guatemalan president has acknowledged in an interview with this newspaper that "the drug has invaded the country." Morales will be moved to Guatemala City today under tight security, and will be made available to the courts. In parallel, the Ministry of Interior has confirmed the arrest of three Mexicans and two Guatemalans, members of Los Zetas, who allegedly also participated in the massacre.
Guatemalan Interior Minister Carlos Menocal, told reporters that the arrests were made during several raids carried out by security forces in the city of Huehuetenango, 280 kilometers north of the capital. In search of the murderers in the past two weeks the security forces in Guatemala have captured a dozen suspected members of Los Zetas operating in various cities across the country, the Mexican cartel that has managed to place their crime operations organized.
Menocal has acknowledged that the department Huehuetanango border with Mexico, is one of the hubs of the Mexican criminal group. Similarly, the Guatemalan police reported the discovery of a dismembered corpse of an auxiliary of the Office of Coban, also in the north, with a message signed by Z 200.
The victim is Allan Vidal, 36, abducted on Monday night as he left the prosecutor's office. Menocal has said that suspicions are that it was a revenge after the seizure in March a half-ton of cocaine in the department of Alta Verapaz, on the border with Mexico. 
"Apparently this person was responsible for leading the group that murdered the peasants," confirmed President Alvaro Colom told reporters. Morales is, according to security forces, a "high command" in the structure of the group Z 200, the band of gunmen of Los Zetas to which the authorities attributed the killing of 27 peasants, including two women, in Los Cocos farm, 630 miles north of Guatemala City, on 13 May.
According to research by the authorities, the victims were laborers on the farm of Guatemalan Otoniel Salguero, unaccounted for since the day of the killing and being linked to drug trafficking. Colom explained that the capture was made possible by Morales in the important work "of the state intelligence agents working in Petén, regional department since last week remains under siege in order to facilitate the operations of security forces pursuit of the murderers.
The Guatemalan president has acknowledged in an interview with this newspaper that "the drug has invaded the country." Morales will be moved to Guatemala City today under tight security, and will be made available to the courts. In parallel, the Ministry of Interior has confirmed the arrest of three Mexicans and two Guatemalans, members of Los Zetas, who allegedly also participated in the massacre.
Guatemalan Interior Minister Carlos Menocal, told reporters that the arrests were made during several raids carried out by security forces in the city of Huehuetenango, 280 kilometers north of the capital. In search of the murderers in the past two weeks the security forces in Guatemala have captured a dozen suspected members of Los Zetas operating in various cities across the country, the Mexican cartel that has managed to place their crime operations organized.
Menocal has acknowledged that the department Huehuetanango border with Mexico, is one of the hubs of the Mexican criminal group. Similarly, the Guatemalan police reported the discovery of a dismembered corpse of an auxiliary of the Office of Coban, also in the north, with a message signed by Z 200.
The victim is Allan Vidal, 36, abducted on Monday night as he left the prosecutor's office. Menocal has said that suspicions are that it was a revenge after the seizure in March a half-ton of cocaine in the department of Alta Verapaz, on the border with Mexico.
- 27 die in drug-related massacre in Guatemala - MiamiHerald.com (16/05/2011)
- Mexican drug cartel suspected after 29 decapitated in Guatemala (17/05/2011)
- Guatemala: 27 massacred, decapitated in Petén by paramilitary drug gang Los Zetas (17/05/2011)
- Guatemala Targets Drug Gangs After Massacre (19/05/2011)
- 3 reviews of 26 Decapitations: Mexico?s Zetas Cartel Behind Massacre of 28 in Guatemala; US Trained! (19/05/2011)
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