Mexico Busts Cop Boss Turned Cartel Hitman Chief

Mexico has arrested a former police commander who changed sides to rise through the ranks of the La Familia drug cartel. Miguel Ortiz Miranda—alias "El Tyson"—is accused of organizing teams of hitmen for the cartel. He has been linked to the attempted assassination of a security chief this year and over 30 killings, including an attack on a police convoy that claimed the lives of 12 officers last year, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Authorities say the former special operations commander's career change came after he accepted a huge bribe to release a cartel suspect. He then became a cartel informant before leaving the police. Ortiz has told police he attended cartel training camps run by former military officers, which included self-help courses and Bible studies, as well as weapons training.
(More La Familia stories.)