Puente Grande, Jalisco
A unit of the Mexican Federal Police on patrol

Alleged cartel operatives were detained by Mexican forces in Juarez. They stand accused of committing several high profile crimes in the border region.

According to Border Report, the group stands accused of at least eight murders: the killing of two municipal police officers, a La Linea cartel leader the men were allegedly working for, and the murder of five other people in the neighborhood of Anapra.

The three men were taken into custody last week after being spotted getting off a SUC carrying guns. Agents pursued and apprehended one of the suspects inside a house, in which they also found dozens of guns, rifles, and migrants held for ransom.

"These events confirm how dangerous these people now in custody and the criminal cell (they belong to) are. This is a major blow to a criminal structure that was generating violence in Juarez," said Chihuahua state police Chief of Staff Luis Aguirre.

The operation was part of a broader sweep called Guerrero Negro (Black Warrior). It was deployed after a murder in the Oasis Revolucion neighborhood. 90 members of Mexican army special forces arrived in the city last week to strengthen the region's security situation after the incidents.

Border Report cited sources claiming the suspects are part of La Empresa, a criminal group linked to migrant stash houses in New Mexico. The group began in Juarez as an enforcer group for La Linea cartel.

Originally published on Latin Times