HomeNewsBriefMexico Captures Caballeros Templarios 'Head Hitman'
BRIEF

Mexico Captures Caballeros Templarios 'Head Hitman'

KNIGHTS TEMPLAR / 14 JUL 2011 BY JEN SOKATCH EN

Federal Police arrested a man accused of being the top hitman of the Caballeros Templarios drug gang, in south Mexico.

Javier Beltran Arco, alias "El Chivo," is accused of being a high-level boss in the trafficking organization. He was captured by police forces Wednesday in the city of Apatzingan, Michoacan, along with two alleged accomplices, according to reports.

The three suspects were apprehended by security forces after being spotted driving armed through the neighborhood of Cenobio Moreno. Upon arrest both Beltran’s companions reportedly confessed to working as lookouts for the organization.

Police seized a small amount of crystal meth, various weapons and ammunition, along with a blanket bearing the name of the gang.

The Caballeros Templarios are a splinter group of the Familia Michoacana gang that emerged earlier this year. Following the capture of the Familia leader in June, government forces have poured into Michoacan to capture Caballeros Templarios boss Servando Gomez Martines, alias "La Tuta."

Within hours of the arrests, a small protest of about 100 people broke out in the area of Apatzingan. The protesters, allegedly paid by the Caballeros Templarios, held up signs reading “Calderon you are Michoacano, protect your state,” and “Felipe Calderon, we want peace.”

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

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.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

EL MENCHO / 18 NOV 2021

The arrest of the wife of CJNG boss El Mencho is being interpreted as a win against the cartel and…

BOLIVIA / 8 MAR 2023

InSight Crime reviews Latin America and the Caribbean's cocaine seizure date from 2022 to find out what it reveals about…

FENTANYL / 28 SEP 2022

Migrant encounters and seizures of the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl are often erroneously conflated and linked together.

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Chemical Precursor Report continues to be a reference in the region

19 MAY 2023

For the second week in a row, our investigation into the flow of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of synthetic drugs in Mexico has been cited by multiple regional media…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Chemical Precursor Report Widely Cited

THE ORGANIZATION / 12 MAY 2023

We are proud to see that our recently published investigation into the supply chain of chemical precursors feeding Mexico’s synthetic drug production has been warmly received.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Paraguay Election Coverage Draws Attention 

5 MAY 2023

InSight Crime looked at the various anti-organized crime policies proposed by the candidates in Paraguay’s presidential election, which was won on April 30 by Santiago Peña. Our pre-election coverage was cited…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Cited in OAS, CARICOM Reports

28 APR 2023

This week, InSight Crime’s work was cited nine times in a new report by the Organization of American States (OAS) titled “The Impact of Organized Crime on Women,…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Staff Cited as Experts by International Media

21 APR 2023

This week, InSight Crime deputy editor, Juan Diego Posada, was interviewed by the Associated Press about connections between the ex-FARC mafia and Brazilian criminal groups, and…