Héctor Manuel Beltrán Leyva[3] (15 February 1962[3] – 18 November 2018) was a Mexicandrug lord and leader of theBeltrán Leyva Cartel, a drug-trafficking organization.[1][4] He was the brother ofArturo Beltrán Leyva (deceased), former leader of the cartel. Héctor was the second-in-command and rose to the leadership of the criminal organization after his brother's death on 16 December 2009 during a confrontation withMexican marines.[5][6]
Although originally a part of theSinaloa Cartel, the four Beltrán Leyva brothers broke ties with the organization in 2008 after Alfredo Beltrán Leyva was arrested by Mexican military special forces, and the Beltrán Leyva brothers blamed their bossJoaquín Guzmán (a.k.a.El Chapo).[7][8] In response to the supposed betrayal, the Beltrán Leyva brothers ordered the murder of 22-year-old Édgar Guzmán López, a son of Joaquín Guzmán, who was killed in a shopping center parking lot by at least 15 gunmen using assault rifles andgrenade launchers.[9][10]
The remaining four Beltrán Leyva brothers established theBeltrán Leyva Cartel and forged a collaboration pact with their former rivals: theGulf Cartel andLos Zetas. Today, the Beltrán Leyva Cartel is responsible for the procurement of firearms and ammunition from the global black market in furtherance of their criminal enterprise and is responsible for the trafficking of multi-ton amounts ofillicit drugs, includingcocaine,marijuana,heroin, andmethamphetamine. Héctor Beltrán Leyva is also credited with rising rates of violence within Mexico, as his organization is reportedly responsible forkidnapping,torture,murder, and various other acts of violence against numerous men, women, and children in Mexico.[1] The cartel is considered one of the most ruthless and brutal in the way they dispose of their enemies. The organization is connected with the assassinations of numerous Mexican law enforcement officials,[9][11] includingÉdgar Eusebio Millán Gómez, the former acting commissioner of the MexicanFederal Preventive Police.[12]
The U.S. Department of State was offering a reward ofUSD $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Héctor Beltrán Leyva, while the Mexican government offered a US$2.1 million bounty reward.[13][14]
On 3 December 2009, theUnited States Department of the Treasury sanctioned Beltrán Leyva under theForeign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (sometimes referred to simply as the "Kingpin Act"), for his involvement in drug trafficking along with twenty-one other international criminals and ten foreign entities.[15] The act prohibited U.S. citizens and companies from doing any kind of business activity with him, and virtually froze all his assets in the U.S.[16]
On 18 November 2018, Beltrán Leyva began having chest pains. A prison guard reported this to medical personnel, who tried to give him first aid attention in his prison cell. As his symptoms worsened, he was transported to the Adolfo López Mateos Medical Center inToluca, State of Mexico. According to the medics, he died of a heart attack in the emergency room. Upon his death, the hospital notified authorities and stated they would conduct an autopsy, as required by Mexican law. His family was notified of the death and they claimed the body. The hospital's emergency area was safeguarded by security forces while Beltrán Leyva was receiving medical attention.[23][24]
