Beltrán-Leyva Organization
The Beltrán Leyva Organization (BLO), also known as the Beltrán Leyva Cartel; Spanish: Cártel de los Beltrán Leyva (CBL), was a Mexican drug cartel and organized crime syndicate, formerly headed by the five Beltrán Leyva brothers: Marcos Arturo, Carlos, Alfredo, Mario Alberto, and Héctor. Founded as a Sinaloa Cartel, the Beltrán Leyva cartel was responsible for transportation and wholesaling of cocaine, heroin and marijuana (and the production of the last two). It controlled numerous drug trafficking corridors, and engaged in human smuggling, money laundering, extortion, kidnapping, murder and gun-running.
| Founded | 1996 |
|---|---|
| Founded by | Arturo Beltrán Leyva, Carlos Beltrán Leyva, Alfredo Beltrán Leyva, Héctor Beltrán Leyva, Mario Alberto Beltrán Leyva, and Edgar Valdez Villarreal |
| Founding location | Sinaloa, Mexico |
| Years active | 1996–2017 |
| Territory | Mexico: North Sinaloa, Morelos, Guerrero, Quintana Roo, Oaxaca, Chiapas, Nayarit, Michoacán United States: California, Nevada, Texas, New Mexico |
| Ethnicity | Mexican |
| Criminal activities | Drug trafficking, human trafficking, murder, arms trafficking, intimidation, fencing, arson, burglary |
| Allies | Los Mazatlecos Los Zetas Juarez Cartel Independent Cartel of Acapulco Knights Templar Cartel Barrio Azteca Tijuana Cartel La Línea |
| Rivals | La Familia Michoacana Gulf Cartel MS-13 Sinaloa Cartel |
The BLO was one of Mexico's most powerful drug cartels, which had effectively infiltrated the ranks of various Mexican government agencies and Mexico's Interpol. Its last known leader, Héctor Beltrán Leyva, was arrested in October 2014, having had a multimillion-dollar bounty placed on him by the governments of both the United States and Mexico. On August 11, 2011 the capture of one of the cartel's former top lieutenants, called "the last Beltran-Leyva link of any importance", prompted Mexican authorities to declare the cartel disbanded and extinct.