Mexican cartel boss arrested for slaying of tourism minister

GUADALAJARA, Mexico, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- Mexico police arrested Daniel Quintero Riestra, the alleged cartel boss accused in the killing of the minister of tourism in the state of Jalisco.

Riestra was arrested without incident on a boat near an island off the coast of Cancun. He has been charged with kidnapping and murder.

BBC News reported that officials said Riestra was the head of a cartel responsible for significant criminal activity in Guadalajara, Jalisco's capital. Though the official did not name the cartel, the Jalisco New Generation group controls much of the territory.

Riestra is accused of being behind the 2013 slaying of Jose de Jesus Gallegos, Jalisco's tourism minister, in Guadalajara The alleged cartel boss was included on a list of 122 priority targets by the Mexican government.

Jalisco New Generation was behind shooting down a Mexican military helicopter in May, killing six soldiers.

Drug cartels have created an unprecedented security crisis in Mexico. More than 151,200 people were killed in Mexico between 2006 and 2015. At least 26,000 people are missing.

Official statistics show 98 percent of crimes in Mexico are unsolved and the majority are never properly investigated.