Soldiers arrested Timoteo Mata Cruz, deputy police chief of the Mexican resort town of Zihuatanejo (Guerrero state), and six of his officers for allegedly protecting prominent narco-jefes at a cock fight Dec. 25. Fourteen suspected members of the Beltran Leyva crime machine (Sinaloa Cartel) were arrested at the pelea de gallos. Soldiers also seized 59 packets of cocaine, 40 bags of marijuana and 20 assault rifles. (AP, Dec. 25)

The Defense Secretariat said among those arrested was Zihuatanejo boss Luis Antonio Romero de Los Santos AKA "El Chavo" and Francisco Javier Cortés Osorio AKA "El Oso", leader of a gang of sicarios (hired assassins) known as "Los Pelones." Also arrested were Fidel Romero de Los Santos and Guadalupe Gutiérrez Rodríguez AKA "El Lupillo", identified by military intelligence as the principal distributors for Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa. (El Universal, Dec. 25)

See our last posts on Mexico's narco wars

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