Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Mexico Arrests Alleged Cártel del Noreste Cell Leader in Nuevo León as Raids Seize 7 Tigers

The case grew from a vessel seizure in Tamaulipas that steered investigators to a fuel‑smuggling network tied to Roberto Blanco Cantú.

Overview

  • José Antonio Cortés Huerta, detained Monday in Nuevo León, is accused of leading a cell linked to the Cártel del Noreste, according to Security Minister Omar García Harfuch.
  • Four searches in San Pedro Garza García, Monterrey and Allende turned up ten guns, drugs, cash, eleven vehicles, six motorcycles, computers and seven captive tigers.
  • Agents from the Navy, federal security forces and prosecutors carried out the coordinated operation and dismantled the cell’s sites, officials said.
  • Cortés Huerta and a 41‑year‑old woman are in federal prosecutor custody, and a separate wildlife case opened because the tigers lacked required permits.
  • Investigators traced the probe to a prior ship seizure in Tamaulipas and properties linked to Roberto Blanco Cantú, as authorities scrutinize a cross‑border fuel‑smuggling scheme and a cartel the U.S. labeled a terrorist group in 2025.