A security official in Mexico says one of the military deserters who helped found the gang that grew into the brutal Zetas cartel was among six people killed during a gunbattle in a border town Friday.
The official said authorities confirmed that Galindo Mellado Cruz was one of five gunmen who died in a shootout that also killed a Mexican soldier in Reynosa, which is across from McAllen, Texas. The official was not permitted to be quoted by name for security reasons.
The official said Sunday that Mellado Cruz was one of the 30 ex-special forces soldiers who created the Zetas gang to serve as enforces for the Gulf Cartel before splitting off in a bloody breakup. The official said Mellado Cruz no longer held a Zetas command position.
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