Alleged Zeta hit man faces trial

A man alleged to be a founding member of Mexico’s feared Zetas, assassins linked to the Gulf drug cartel, will stand trial on organized crime, drug and weapons charges, prosecutors said Friday.

Jaime Gonzalez Duran, known as “The Hummer,” will also face charges of transactions with illicit funds.

Gonzalez Duran is an army deserter who was arrested in November in the northern city of Reynosa. Prosecutors call him one of the most dangerous criminals in a country where gangland slayings have taken the lives of more than 5,300 people this year.

The attorney general’s office said three men arrested with Gonzalez Duran would face the same charges.

Mexico has also been rocked by corruption scandals in which more than a dozen high-ranking police and prosecution officials have been arrested or placed under investigation for allegedly passing information to drug cartels.

On Friday, the attorney general’s office announced that the cleanup campaign had also netted a military officer.

Arturo Gonzalez Rodriguez was placed under house arrest while he is investigated for purportedly leaking information to an organized crime group. The attorney general’s office said it did not have information on his rank or branch of service.