Border agents and police 'cartel member' out of the Rio Grande after he tried to flee from Texas cops by SWIMMING to Mexico
- José Francisco Paz-Ruiz was apprehended by border agents and police officers from Laredo, Texas, on Tuesday after he tried to swim to Mexico
- Paz-Ruiz is allegedly a member of the Northeast Cartel (Cartel del Noreste)
- Webb County Constable’s Office Precinct 2 tried to stop a vehicle to a serve a warrant for Paz-Ruiz and an accomplice when they fled for Mexico
- Paz-Ruiz was pulled out of the Rio Grande waters while the other suspect was able to swim to Mexico
A alleged cartel member was dragged out of the Rio Grande after he attempted to swim to Mexico to escape Texas cops who were trying to arrest him, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in statement.
Jose Francisco Paz-Ruiz, who officials identified as a member of the Northeast Cartel, was spotted by officers from the Webb County Constable’s Office Precinct 2 outside a home and boarding a pickup truck in Laredo on Tuesday.
Police attempted to stop the vehicle near an intersection to execute the warrant, but the driver, whose name has not been released, did not comply.
He subsequently led cops on a high speed chase as a Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations aircraft joined the pursuit through downtown Laredo.
Jose Francisco Paz-Ruiz is escorted from the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas, after he attempted to escape from Laredo police officers who were trying to arrest him on a warrant Tuesday. Paz-Ruiz, who has been identified as a member of the Northeast Cartel, tried to swim to Mexico along with another individual who remains at large
Jose Francisco Paz-Ruiz is escorted by officers with the Webb County Constable’s Office Precinct 2 in Laredo, Texas, moments after he was stopped from swimming to Mexico via the Rio Grande on Tuesday
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The driver abandoned the vehicle under the Juárez-Lincoln International Bridge, where he and Paz-Ruiz jumped out and ran towards the Rio Grande as border agents and officers chased after them.
The driver was able to swim back to Mexico, but Paz-Ruiz was nabbed in the river and escorted back to the U.S. side of the Rio Grande.
CBP said that Webb County Constable’s Office Precinct 2 took Paz-Ruiz into custody and confiscated the vehicle.
DailyMail.com reached out to the Webb County Constable’s Office Precinct 2 for comment.
It's unknown what position Paz-Ruiz held within the Northeast Cartel, which was created by former members of the notorious Zetas Cartel. The Zetas Cartel - which today is known as the Northeast Cartel - once was the Gulf Cartel's armed wing before splitting away in 2010.
Juan Gerardo Treviño reportedly took over as leader of the Northeast Cartel after the DEA apprehended Juan Francisco Treviño in September 2016 in Houston.
The cartel operates in the state of Tamaulipas, and has been involved in multiple conflicts with its main rival, the Gulf Cartel, as well as the Sinaloa Cartel.
According to the DEA's 2020 National Drug Threat Assessment, the cartel is one of the top nine criminal organizations from Mexico who traffic narcotics to the United States.
