El Chema," Alleged Key Figure of the Gulf Cartel, Captured in Yucatán
The Yucatan Times· 188 words · 1 min read
A man identified as a high-ranking member of the Gulf Cartel (CDG), José María Durán Chávez, alias "Chema" or "Comandante," was transferred from Mérida to central Mexico after being arrested in Valladolid in recent days.
Information indicates that "El Chema," leader of a Gulf Cartel cell in Tamaulipas, was arrested on March 18 while traveling on the Mérida-Cancún highway near the Yalcobá junction.
After his arrest and confirmation of his identity, state police determined that the alleged criminal had outstanding arrest warrants for serious crimes such as kidnapping, homicide, and fuel theft (huachicol).
He was subsequently transferred to the Attorney General's Office in Mérida.
After three days, in the early hours of Saturday morning, the detainee was transferred by air to Mexico City, then taken to Monterrey, and from there to Tamaulipas, where he would finally be brought before a federal judge.
Although the Secretariat of Public Security (SSP) did not report this arrest as it has done on other occasions, the information was confirmed through the National Registry of Detentions (RND).
It is still unknown whether "El Chema" resided in Yucatán or was passing through the state.