| | |  News Around the Republic of Mexico | December 2008 
Alleged Zeta Hit Man Faces Trial in Mexico
 Associated Press
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| | Mexican federal agents escort Jaime Gonzalez Duran, also known as "The Hummer," as he is shown to the media after his arrest, in Mexico City, Friday, Nov. 7, 2008. Gonzalez Duran is allegedly one of the founding members of the Zetas, a group of army deserters who went to work as hit men for the Gulf drug cartel. Federal Police Commissioner Rodrigo Esparza said Gonzalez Duran deserted from the army in 1999 and was a top lieutenant to current Zeta leader Heriberto Lazcano. (Eduardo Verdugo/AP) | |
Mexico City - A man alleged to be a founding member of Mexico's feared Zetas, assassins linked to the Gulf drug cartel, will stand trial on organized crime, drug and weapons charges, prosecutors said Friday.
Jaime Gonzalez Duran, known as "The Hummer," will also face charges of transactions with illicit funds.
Gonzalez Duran is an army deserter who was arrested in November in the northern city of Reynosa. Prosecutors call him one of the most dangerous criminals in a country where gangland slayings have taken the lives of more than 5,300 people this year.
The attorney general's office said three men arrested with Gonzalez Duran would face the same charges.
Mexico has also been rocked by corruption scandals in which more than a dozen high-ranking police and prosecution officials have been arrested or placed under investigation for allegedly passing information to drug cartels.
On Friday, the attorney general's office announced that the cleanup campaign had also netted a military officer.
Arturo Gonzalez Rodriguez was placed under house arrest while he is investigated for purportedly leaking information to an organized crime group. The attorney general's office said it did not have information on his rank or branch of service. |
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