Mexico's newspaper La Crónica says there are ten versions of how the drug trafficker and hitman Edgar Valdez Villareal, alias La Barbie, was captured in late August just outside Mexico City. These versions come from three different officials. They contradict each other in parts and coincide in others. The article adds to the speculation that Valdez is cooperating with authorities and arranged his capture so he could get favorable treatment once in custody. Valdez was a longtime hitman for the Beltrán Leyva Organization (BLO) but defected after his boss, Arturo Beltrán Leyva, was killed in a firefight with authorities in December 2009. His defections split the organization in two and has led to hundreds of deaths from Morelos to Guerrero as the battle to control this organization came to a head.
10 Official Versions of the Capture of 'Barbie'
Was this content helpful?
We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.
DONATEWhat are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.
We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.
Was this content helpful?
We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.
DONATELatest News
Related Content
The United States saw a record toll in drug overdose deaths last year, driven in part by two powerful synthetic…
Criminal groups across western Mexico have increased their control of illegal logging, silencing landowners, government officials and even entire communities…
Scammers in Mexico have yet again evolved their modus operandi by using express credit apps to extort users and drain…
About InSight Crime
Join Us This #GivingTuesday in Exposing Organized Crime
For over twelve years, InSight Crime has contributed to the global dialogue on organized crime and corruption. Our work has provided policymakers, analysts, academics, journalists, and the general public with…
Like Crime, Our Coverage Knows No Borders
The nature of global organized crime means that while InSight Crime focuses on Latin America, we also follow criminal dynamics worldwide. InSight Crime investigator Alessandro Ford covers the connections between Latin American and European…
Using Data to Expose Crime
Co-director Jeremy McDermott made a virtual presentation at a conference hosted by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The ‘Sixth International Conference on Governance, Crime, and Justice…
InSight Crime ON AIR
InSight Crime Co-director Steven Dudley was interviewed for the podcast The Rosenberg Case: A Tale of Murder, Corruption, and Conspiracy in Guatemala, which explores the potential involvement of then president, Álvaro Colom,…
Work With Us: Research Internship and Editorial Internship
InSight Crime, a think tank dedicated to the study of organized crime and citizen security in the Americas, is seeking interns and investigators to join its dynamic, multinational team.
Stay Informed with Weekly InSight
Get fresh updates on organized crime from across the region delivered to your inbox.
SUBSCRIBE