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’
What 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.
Latest News
Related Content
Authorities in Argentina have disbanded a group linked to the Sinaloa Cartel that trafficked liquid cocaine from Argentina to Mexico,…
It has been revealed actor Sean Penn was under surveillance by Mexico intelligence in the run up to his clandestine…
In one week Mexico has seen the army called in to break up a deadly riot in one prison, and…
About InSight Crime
We Have Updated Our Website
Welcome to our new home page. We have revamped the site to create a better display and reader experience.
InSight Crime Events – Border Crime: The Northern Triangle and Tri-Border Area
Through several rounds of extensive field investigations, our researchers have analyzed and mapped out the main illicit economies and criminal groups present in 39 border departments spread across the six countries of study – the Northern Triangle trio of Guatemala, Honduras, and El…
InSight Crime’s ‘Memo Fantasma’ Investigation Wins Simón Bolívar National Journalism Prize
The staff at InSight Crime was awarded the prestigious Simón Bolívar national journalism prize in Colombia for its two-year investigation into the drug trafficker known as “Memo Fantasma,” which was…
InSight Crime – From Uncovering Organized Crime to Finding What Works
This project began 10 years ago as an effort to address a problem: the lack of daily coverage, investigative stories and analysis of organized crime in the Americas. …
InSight Crime – Ten Years of Investigating Organized Crime in the Americas
In early 2009, Steven Dudley was in Medellín, Colombia. His assignment: speak to a jailed paramilitary leader in the Itagui prison, just south of the city. Following his interview inside…
Stay Informed with InSight Weekly
Get fresh updates on organized crime from across the region delivered to your inbox.
SUBSCRIBE