Mexican authorities said fingerprints confirmed that a suspect killed in a gun battle two days ago was the top leader of the Zetas cartel before his corpse was stolen from a funeral home by armed commandos. The Mexico Institute's Eric L. Olson comments.
Fugitive Zetas leader Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano, known as “El Lazca,” was identified by fingerprints from one of the criminals killed in the fight in Coahuila state, which borders Texas, the Navy said today in an e-mail that included photos of the body. The Zetas have perpetrated some of the most violent crimes in Mexico’s six-year war against cartels, including the mass execution of 72 migrants and a casino fire that killed 52. Authorities are looking for additional ways to corroborate Lazcano’s identity after the corpses of the two suspects killed in the shootout were stolen from a funeral home by armed commandos in a raid after midnight Oct. 8, said Homero Ramos, the state prosecutor.
“It’s a very bizarre situation, so it will raise questions in some people’s minds about what really happened,” said Eric Olson, associate director of the Mexico Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington. While a significant blow for the Zetas, Lazcano’s death may lead to more violence in the short-term as the remnants of the group “fight for their own survival and control,” he said.
The Mexico Institute seeks to improve understanding, communication, and cooperation between Mexico and the United States by promoting original research, encouraging public discussion, and proposing policy options for enhancing the bilateral relationship. A binational Advisory Board, chaired by Luis Téllez and Earl Anthony Wayne, oversees the work of the Mexico Institute. Read more
