United States counterterrorism team catches cartel boss

American and Mexican law enforcement this week arrested a leader of the Sinaloa cartel as he fled a drug raid in Juarez, Mexico. Leonardo Daniel Martinez Vera, also known as El Pato or The Duck, is a drug trafficker and murderer, National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard said Tuesday evening. The National Counterterrorism Center collected the intelligence leading to his arrest, according to director Joe Kent.

El Pato is also suspected of kidnapping and extortion, according to Gabbard’s office. He fled after Mexican authorities raided two houses in Juarez under suspicion of drug trafficking. Law enforcement nabbed three cartel money launderers along with him, according to Gabbard’s office. The arrest marked the culmination of nine months of cooperation between Mexican authorities and U.S. state and federal agencies, including an aircraft division from Texas.

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