Cartel gang leader 'La Kena,' who kidnapped 'Tummy Tuck Four' and killed two of the Americans, is captured in Mexico

José 'La Kena' García as arrested at a mall in San Pedro Garza García, Mexico on ThursdayGarcía is identified by Mexican authorities as one of the leaders of the Gulf Cartel A gang linked to the cartel, that García oversees, kidnapped four Americans in March 2023 and killed two of them 

A Mexican cartel leader whose gang abducted four Americans and killed two of them in March 2023 has been arrested.

Gulf Cartel boss José ‘La Kena’ García was taken into custody Thursday afternoon while shopping at mall in San Pedro Garza García, an affluent town in the northeastern state of Nuevo León.

Security forces also arrested two male individuals had accompanied La Kena shopping.

‘The arrest of José ‘N’, alias Kena 19 or CMTE XlX, is reported in San Pedro Garza García, Nuevo León. (He is ) considered a priority objective and one of the main generators of violence in the northeast of the country,’ the Tamaulipas state government said in a statement.

‘The Attorney General’s Office of the State of Tamaulipas issued a search (warrant) in Tamaulipas and the capture was achieved thanks to coordinated inter-institutional work.’

García, the Mexican government alleges, commands the Gulf Cartel cell known as  ‘Los Escorpiones’ (Scorpions).

Gulf Cartel boss José ‘La Kena’ García was taken into custody Thursday afternoon while shopping at mall in San Pedro Garza García, an affluent town in the northeastern state of Nuevo León. He is said to be the commander of a cartel gang that was behind the kidnapping of four Americans, including two who were killed, on March 3, 2023

Latavia McGee  (left) and Eric Williams (right) were among four South Carolina residents abducted by members of Los Escorpiones, a gang linked to the Gulf Cartel, in Matamoros, Mexico on March 3, 2023. McGee was accompanied by her cousin Shaeed Woodard and friends, Williams and Zindell Brown, for a liposuction. McGee and Willams were rescued while Woodard and Brown were killed by gunmen

Shaheed Woodard (left) and Zindell Brown (right) were kidnapped and murdered by a gang linked to the Gulf Cartel in March 2023 after they traveled to Matamoros, Mexico to accompany their friend Latavia McGee for her liposuction. McGee and a third man, Eric Williams, were rescued

Gang members opened fire on and kidnapped South Carolina residents Latavia McGee, Shaeed Woodward, Eric James and Zindell Brown in the Tamaulipas border town of Matamoros on March 3, 2023.

Viral images of the incident showed McGee, who traveled to Mexico for liposuction, sitting on the ground while her companions were lying on the ground, and loaded into a pickup truck. Mexican national Areli Pablo, 33, was killed by a stray bullet.

The abduction nearly sparked diplomatic friction as the military and police raced to locate the four Americans and their captors.

Authorities found McGee, a mother-of-five, and Williams at a stash house about six and a half miles away in the rural community of El Tecolote on March 5.

The bodies of Woodward and Brown were found in a small home, where an alleged Gulf Cartel member who watched over the group was also arrested.

McGee is seen sitting on the ground after the vehicle she and three other U.S. citizens were traveling on was shot at by kidnappers moments after they drove into the Mexican border city of Matamoros on March 3, 2023

Members (pictured) of the Gulf Cartel’s Scorpions Group were abandoned on a Matamoros street and accused by the criminal organization of being behind last Friday’s kidnapping of four Americans, including two who were killed. A Mexican woman was also shot dead during the incident

Tamaulipas State Attorney General’s Office was offering a $150,000 reward for García’s arrest.

Soon after the kidnapping, the criminal organization turned over five members to the police.

The suspects were tied up and abandoned on a street with a sign issued by the Gulf Cartel apologizing for their actions, claiming they acted on their own.

‘The Gulf Cartel’s Scorpions Group strongly condemns the events of last Friday, March 3 where unfortunately an ‘innocent’ working mother died and 4 American citizens were ‘kidnapped’ of which 2 died,’ the Spanish-written message read.

The criminal organization, which has been around since the 1930s, added that they ‘decided to hand over those involved and directly responsible for the facts who at all times acted under their own determination and indiscipline and against the rules that ‘The CDG’ has always operated, respecting the life and integrity of the innocent.

‘The CDG apologizes to Matamoran society, the relatives of Mrs. Arely, the American individuals and families affected. The CDG asks society to be calm because we are committed to not repeating those errors caused by indiscipline and whoever is responsible will pay!!’