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Mexico captures 'key drug lord' | |
(1 day later) | |
Mexican police have arrested a US citizen accused of being a key figure in a major drug cartel based in the border city of Tijuana. | |
Gustavo Rivera Martinez was responsible for the logistics of smuggling drugs to the US and laundering the proceeds, Mexico's interior minister said. | |
He is wanted by the FBI and the US Drug Enforcement Agency which offered a $2m (£1m) reward for his capture. | |
Mr Rivera Martinez would be sent back immediately to the US, officials said. | |
"This individual is one of the criminals most sought after by the DEA and FBI," said Mexican Interior Secretary Juan Camilo Mourino. | |
Mr Rivera Martinez was arrested in the state of Baja California Sur together with several other suspects. | |
He had been a fugitive from US justice since 2002. | |
Mexican officials said Mr Rivera Martinez was a key figure in the Tijuana cartel and close to Enedina Arellano Felix, the latest member of the Arellano Felix family to head the drugs ring. | |
Large reward | Large reward |
The Arellano Felix cartel, based across the US border from San Diego, rose to prominence in the 1980s. | The Arellano Felix cartel, based across the US border from San Diego, rose to prominence in the 1980s. |
It paid millions of dollars in bribes to local law enforcement officers and was blamed for increasing violence, including the murder of informants and rival traffickers. | It paid millions of dollars in bribes to local law enforcement officers and was blamed for increasing violence, including the murder of informants and rival traffickers. |
Much of the group's activities centred on smuggling Colombian cocaine through Mexico to California. | Much of the group's activities centred on smuggling Colombian cocaine through Mexico to California. |
Correspondents say this latest arrest will be seen as a further blow to the cartel whose power has been undermined by a concerted drive against its leaders. | Correspondents say this latest arrest will be seen as a further blow to the cartel whose power has been undermined by a concerted drive against its leaders. |
One of its founders, Francisco Javier Arellano Felix, was sentenced to life in prison by a US court last year after pleading guilty to running the cartel. | |
But as the Tijuana cartel's influence has waned, other drugs gangs have tried to move in on its turf. | |
Drug-related violence has become a serious issue across Mexico and since taking office in December 2006, President Felipe Calderon has sent some 25,000 soldiers and federal police to key areas to tackle the drug-traffickers. |
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