Drug lord Hector Beltran dies after heart attack in Mexico prison

Nov. 19 (UPI) -- Mexican authorities say the leader of a major drug trafficking organization died after a heart attack late Sunday at a maximum security prison. He was 56.

Hector Beltran, aka "El H", died in the city of Toluca, about 40 miles west of Mexico City. He died as he was in jail while facing prosecution on multiple criminal charges, El Financiero reported Monday. He was arrested in October 2014 at a restaurant in San Miguel de Allende in central Mexico.

He led the Beltran Leyva criminal organization after the Mexican government captured one of his brothers and killed another during a 2008 confrontation.

Excelsior reported Beltran was transferred to the high security prison in March 2016.

Prior to his arrest, he kept a low profile and pretended to be a businessman in the city of Queretaro, dedicated to sales of real estate and art, the report said.

He was detained after an 11-month investigation. At the time of his arrest, he carried a gun used by the Mexican army.

After his capture, officials say his criminal organization lost influences in about ten Mexican states across central and southern Mexico.

Authorities said Beltran was an ally of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, who is now being tried in New York City for drug trafficking crimes.