Founder of Mexican self-defense group arrested for second time

Octavio "N", the founder of the self-defense group Columna Armada General Pedro José Méndez, was arrested on Sunday, June 28. The arrest occurred in Santiago, Nuevo León, though the official detention registry did not specify the location. Known as "El Profe" or "El Tarzán," this marks his second detention.

His previous arrest in 2022 in Monterrey, Nuevo León, was for alleged intentional homicide. Following that arrest, he was taken to a hospital in Victoria and later released after a court order was revoked. At the time of his most recent arrest, Octavio was reportedly wearing a white guayabera, light brown dress pants, black sandals, and socks.

The Columna Armada General Pedro José Méndez is a self-defense organization that emerged in 2010 in Tamaulipas, Mexico. It was founded to protect local populations from the violence of criminal groups like Los Zetas. The group derives its name from General Pedro José Méndez Ortiz, a military hero from Hidalgo. The organization has been linked to the Gulf Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel, both rivals of Los Zetas. For years, the group supported the political career of former governor Francisco Javier García Cabeza de Vaca, but this alliance fractured in 2022, leading to his initial arrest and subsequent protests by his followers.