Mexican authorities delivered yet another blow to a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel with the capture of a woman identified as a regional leader or the criminal organization.
Concretely, members of the Mexican Army and Navy secured the arrest of Itania Noemí Hernández Zepeda, a.k.a "La Alemana" (The German) and "La Güera" in the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco.
A series of investigations into organizations operating in the state led members of the Ministry of Public Safety, National Guard and the National Intelligence Center (CNI) to where she was hiding.
Authorities detailed that "La Alemana" tried to escape when she saw members of the Mexican armed forces arriving at the scene, but did not manage to get far as officers caught up to her a few meters later.
En Jalisco, @SSPCMexico, @SEDENAmx, @SEMAR_mx, @GN_MEXICO_ , #CNI y @FGRMexico detuvieron a Itania "N.", operadora de un grupo generador de violencia en Colima, esta persona cuenta con una Orden de Aprehensión vigente.
— Omar H Garcia Harfuch (@OHarfuch) November 11, 2024
After her capture, authorities corroborated her identity and learned about an active arrest warrant "La Alemana" had against her since 2021. She stands accused of unlawful possession of firearms and a list of miscellaneous crimes against public health.
The only information in the National Registry of Detentions says that "La Alemana" is currently being "transferred" as well as a small description of what she was wearing when she was captured.
"Itania Noemí Hernández Zepeda was identified as one of the biggest generators of violence in the city of Manzanillo, where she had a big influence over the drug trafficking business," authorities said in a statement. "Previous investigations in the Manzanillo area allowed us to identify Hernández Zepeda as a regional leader linked to a bigger drug trafficking organization," they added.
Intelligence reports link "La Alemana" to the Sinaloa Cartel faction that has remained loyal to Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada known as "La Mayiza," now being led by Zambada's son, "El Mayito Flaco."
"La Alemana" was in charge of supervising operations from the state of Jalisco although she had a bigger influence in the neighboring state of Colima. According to reports, her clique maintained a violent dispute with the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación for control of the area.
In recent days, law enforcement has delivered a few important blows to the criminal organization's ranks. Earlier this week, Mexican armed forces arrested Jorge Luis Mendoza Uriarte, a.k.a "El Güero Chompas," who was believed to be one of Zambada's heads of security.
Along with "El Güero Chompas," an altercation in the state of Sinaloa between the Mexican army and cartel members ended with the death of Dimas Díaz Ramos, also known as "El Delta" or "El Dimas," an alleged financial operator of the Sinaloa Cartel.
Violence in Mexico's Bajío Region
According to Animal Político, Colima has seen 631 homicide cases between January and September. So far in November, seven homicides have been reported in the small state.
Apart from the homicides, Colima has reported that at least 1,314 people have gone missing, according to data from the National Search Commission.
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