Héctor Javier Montoya Chávez released in Casino Royale case

Héctor Javier Montoya Chávez, known as ‘La Rana,’ a former member of the Los Zetas criminal group, has been released from the Federal Center for Social Reintegration Number 14 in Gómez Palacio, Durango. His release follows a judicial resolution regarding criminal case 162/2011, which was linked to the 2011 Casino Royale tragedy in Monterrey that resulted in 52 deaths.

The release was granted under the legal figure of ‘libertad bajo protesta’ (freedom under protest), specifically for the charges of organized crime and kidnapping in that single case. A federal judge has instructed authorities to locate Montoya Chávez to establish a formal means of contact to ensure he receives future judicial notifications while remaining at liberty.

While a judicial order also applied to José Alberto Loera Rodríguez, alias ‘El Voltaje,’ he remains imprisoned at the Federal Center for Social Reintegration Number 12 in Ocampo, Guanajuato. Loera Rodríguez continues to face other active criminal proceedings in federal courts in Nuevo León, preventing his release.