A well-known Mexican gang leader named Moisés Escamilla May, also known as 'El Gordo May' was reported to have died from the novel coronavirus while on the prison at the Puente Grande State prison, a high-security prison in Zapotlanejo. 

The gang leader passed away after a week of having difficulty breathing from a high-security prison in Jalisco, says an article.

On May 6, it was reported that he had experienced respiratory problems. After two days, he died. According to an article, the former drug cartel leader's death was only reported by officials on Sunday. 

There are 74 coronavirus cases reported in the prison where Moisés Escamilla May died, says an article. 

His Crime

The 45-year-old was the group leader of Los Zetas, a criminal cartel in Mexico. He was judged to serve a sentence of 37 years in prison. 

According to an article, he was imprisoned for his participation in the beheading 12 people from Yukatan in 2008. According to an article, the former drug cartel leader was imprisoned for more than a decade.

Moisés Escamilla May

Before being detained, Moisés Escamilla May was the leader of the group called 'Old School Zetas.' It was created from the Los Zetas cartel.

His leadership had allowed his group to become the primary supplier of cocaine in Cancun. His group was able to smuggle cocaine through the waters of Central America. Also, he was able to have connections with some local police members, says an article. 

The Los Zetas Gang

The Los Zetas Gang is one of the most feared drug cartels in Mexico. According to an article, the group did not only illegally sell drugs, but they also committed other crimes such as kidnapping, sex trafficking, and extortion to earn money. 

Based on an article, the Los Zetas' founding fathers were trained by the U.S. military. Many of the initial members of the cartel were elite Mexican troops. They had undergone training in the early parts of the 1990s. They received training from the 7th Special Forces Group of the U.S. 

Also, in terms of the coverage of their operations, they are Mexico's largest drug cartel. It is operating in approximately half of the total states of the country. 

The cartel recruits from prisons in the U.S. and street gangs to help them with drug trafficking activities.

After Omar Trevino Morales, the former leader of the cartel, was detained, the Loz Zetas had split into two groups. 

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Coronavirus Cases in Mexico

Currently, there are already a total of 36,327 confirmed coronavirus cases in Mexico. 3,573 people who contracted SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, have lost their battle with the illness while 23,100 individuals who were reported to have contracted the illness had survived COVID-19, according to a coronavirus case online tracker.