“Ivan” for Borderland Beat
Preliminary reports indicate that El Panther was tied to his cell.
Michoacán – More than two months after being arrested with an arsenal, Humberto López Cabezas or Diego Armando Pantoja Infante, El Panther, former regional leader of the Jalisco Cartel – New Generation in the region of Uruapan, died by hanging in the prison of La Piedad, Michoacán.
Preliminary reports indicate that El Panther was tied to his cell inside the prison, located 177 kilometers from the Michoacan capital.
Authorities secured an arsenal and drugs from him and he was handed over to the Attorney General’s Office.
Before his arrest, El Panther was identified by security authorities as one of the main criminal targets and generators of violence.
Humberto Lopez, or Diego Armando Pantoja, was identified as the regional leader of the CJNG in the Uruapan region, where he disputed territory with Carteles Unidos.
He headed an armed group with a presence mainly in the municipalities of Uruapan, Nuevo San Juan and Tancítaro, in the main avocado-growing area.
El Panther was also accused of homicides, extortion, kidnappings, as well as drug production and sales.
