Mexico navy smashes Zetas cartel communications network
The Mexican navy says it has broken up a sophisticated communications network used by the Zetas drugs cartel in the eastern state of Veracruz.
The navy said it seized mobile radio transmitters and encryption equipment that the gang was using to coordinate its criminal activities.
At least 80 suspects have been arrested over the past month.
Founded by former army commandos, the Zetas are considered one of Mexico’s most violent cartels.
Last month, the gang was blamed for an arson attack on a casino in the northern city of Monterrey which killed 52 people.
The Mexican navy said the operation against the Zetas in Veracruz was carried out by marine special forces after months of work by naval intelligence officers.
It said the gang had installed secure radio communications systems in at least 10 towns in Veracruz.
Command ‘disrupted’
The network was being used to coordinate drug trafficking, kidnap, extortion and murder across much of the state.