Mexican journalist found dead with ominous note naming drug cartel

Shortly before his death, Miguel Angel Beltran reported on the arrest of a gang leader. Photo / Supplied

A Mexican journalist who reported on drug cartels has been murdered and dumped on a highway.

Miguel Angel Beltran’s body was discovered on Saturday along a stretch of road, accompanied by a message which claimed he had been “spreading lies”, local media reported.

Shortly before his death, Beltran reported on the arrest of a gang leader, warning that “bloodshed” could ensue in Durango, where he lived.

His body was found along a highway that connects Durango, in the northwest, to the Mazatlan in the neighbouring state of Sinaloa, which has seen vicious turf wars between cartels.

A note left with his body reportedly read: “For spreading false accusations against the people of Durango.” The practice is considered a hallmark of cartel violence.

Journalist reported on gangs using TikTok

Beltran once worked in print media but had been reporting from a TikTok account under the handle Capo, and on Facebook on the page La Gazzetta Durango.

In one of his last social media posts on October 22, Beltran reported on the arrest of a leader of the Cabrera Sarabia gang, which operates in Durango and is a rival of the Sinaloa and Jalisco Nueva Generación cartels.

“Let’s not rule out the possibility that violence will erupt even more in the state of Durango, and in the city in particular,” he said on a post on social media, according to Mexican news outlets.

“As you can see, there have been recent bloodsheds that are not isolated cases.

“They are the result of the entry into the state of the group formed in alliance with Los Chapitos and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.”

Contexto Durango, a Mexican publication for whom Beltran worked, confirmed his death in a statement on Sunday.

The outlet reported the 60-year-old journalist had been identified by his son, who last saw his father on Thursday when they both left for work.

Miroslava Breach Velducea, a journalist who covered links between organised crime and local politicians, was shot dead in 2017 in Chihuahua.

“For being a snitch,” a note reportedly found with her body, signed by the leader of a gang linked to the Juarez cartel, read.

Mexico is considered one of the world’s most dangerous countries for journalists, with more than 150 media workers killed since 1994, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Their murders “go unpunished almost every single time”, the group said in a statement.