Recently, chickens have come home to roost for some of the world’s most brutal drug lords. Infamous “Cocaine Godmother” Griselda Blanco was gunned down in her native Colombia last month… a long overdue slaying. Gotta respect a woman who claws her way to the top of a male-dominated coke game but if anyone deserved those two slugs to the melon, it was bloodthirsty Griselda.
Joining her in Hell is Heriberto Lazcano, boss of the feared Zetas Cartel. Lazcano was killed in a wild shootout with Mexican marines this past Sunday, ending a long and murderous run littered with more body parts than Mortal Kombat. Adding to the drama, a group of masked gunmen raided the funeral home where Lazcano’s carcass was being stored, hijacked a hearse and disappeared into the night with the dead kingpin. Perhaps they’ll use his corpse for slapstick comedy, like a Mexican remake of Weekend At Bernie’s.
According to CNN:
The kingpin’s death is arguably the Mexican government’s biggest takedown since President Felipe Calderon launched an offensive six years ago, but the record is mixed on the impact of such successes. Mexican marines killed Lazcano in a shootout on Sunday in a small town in northern Mexico, 130 miles from the Texas border, the country’s navy said.
In a twist, a group of armed men stole Lazcano’s body from a funeral home, though authorities had already taken fingerprints and photographs to confirm his identity. Lazcano was a onetime special forces soldier who became a founding member of the Zetas, a group accused of some of the most violent atrocities that have come to define the drug wars.
Another observer, the intelligence firm Stratfor, said it expects Lazcano’s death to have little impact on the Zetas’ operations. Lazcano’s health had been failing and he had already transferred much control of the organization to Miguel Angel Trevino Morales, Stratfor said.
The United States and Mexico combined had offered rewards of more than $7 million for information leading to his capture. The Zetas are responsible for smuggling tons of cocaine and other drugs annually to the United States, generating many millions of dollars. The name of the cartel conjures up some of the most violent images of the drug war: a casino fire that killed 52 people, the deaths of 72 migrants, and tortured bodies hanging from bridges.
The marines who killed Lazcano had responded Sunday to reports of an armed group in the town of Progreso, in the northern state of Coahuila, the navy said. They were attacked with grenades thrown from a moving vehicle and a firefight ensued, it said. A local newspaper reported scenes of “panic and terror” as the shootout erupted next to where families were enjoying a baseball game.
Rather than after an ambush, the shooting started after the marines tried to search a suspicious Ford Ranger, the Zocalo newspaper said. Authorities at the scene recovered two assault rifles, a grenade launcher and 12 grenades, as well as a rocket launcher and two rockets.
The Zetas — headquartered in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, directly across the border from Laredo, Texas — make up Mexico’s largest drug cartel in terms of territory. The group has operations in 11 Mexican states.
Cue Porky Pig: “That’s all, folks!”
Previously posted:
ZETAS CARTELLEADER ‘EL LOCO’ ARRESTED FOR BEHEADING 49 PEOPLE
ANONYMOUS HACKERS GO TO WAR WITH MEXICAN DRUG CARTEL
MEXICO JUDGE SENTENCES TEENAGE HITMAN TO 3 YEARS
MEXICAN DRUG CARTELS BUILD THEIR OWN ARMORED TANKS
1 down and many many many more to go.
Yeah, this really ain’t gonna make a dent in the cartel. The bosses are pretty much interchangable. If you can give orders to have ppl beheaded, you’ll fit right in.
I’d be impressed if marines raid American banks & kill the execs who launder Mexican drug money. Or wipe out the corrupt alphabet-boys & politicians who enable the cartels.
Gun down Oliver North & parade his corpse around, it’s long overdue.