A former Mexican international goalkeeper Omar Ortiz has been arrested on suspicion of working for a gang of kidnappers.
The 35-year-old Ortiz admitted helping to pick out two rich victims for the kidnappers, said Jorge Domene, government security spokesman for the northern state of Nuevo Leon.
The gang, who said they belonged to a drug cartel, sought an average of 1 million pesos (€60,000) per victim, of which Ortiz received a cut of more than 100,000 pesos, Nuevo Leon's government said.
Sporting his trademark goatee beard, Ortiz looked impassive as masked soldiers paraded him and three other suspects in Nuevo Leon state capital Monterrey, a city that has increasingly come under attack by organized crime.
Mr Domene said the gang operated by selecting victims at social gatherings, who were then snatched and ransomed.
Nuevo Leon attorney general Adrian de la Garza said the suspected kidnappers were captured on January 5th and noted that the gang's leader, who is still at large, told them they were working for the Gulf Cartel.
The conservative government of President Felipe Calderon has staked its reputation on rooting out Mexico's drug gangs, some of which have branched out extensively into other activities like robbery, extortion and kidnapping.
After Ortiz disappeared earlier this week, Mexican media was awash with speculation he himself had been kidnapped.
The footballer, who is currently serving a ban for a doping offence, only helped choose victims and provide information to the gang, whose suspected leader is still fugitive along with several others, Nuevo Leon said.
Nicknamed "El Gato" (The Cat) for his bright eyes, Ortiz played a single match for the Mexican national side in 2002.
In 2010, Ortiz was suspended after testing positive for anabolic steroids. That ban is due to expire in April. Famous for his many tattoos and earrings, Ortiz was a longtime regular for top division side Monterrey.