Mexican police have arrested an American national accused of being a leading member of a drug cartel.
Gustavo Rivera Martinez is alleged to be one of the main financial backers of the Arellano Felix cartel based in the border town of Tijuana.
He was wanted by the FBI. The US Drug Enforcement US economy fears hit Asian shares ...
Deadly shoot-out ends in Mexico ... Agency was offering a reward of $2m (Ј1m) for his capture.
Mr Rivera Martinez is to be turned over to the American authorities, who have sought him since 2002.
Mexican Public Safety Secretary Genaro Garcia Luna said Mr Rivera Martinez had taken over the cartel after the arrest of its founder, Francisco Arellano Felix.
Large reward
Mr Felix was sentenced to life in prison by a US court last year after pleading guilty to running the cartel.
Mr Rivera Martinez was arrested along with several others in the northern state of Baja California Sur.
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.
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.
(BBC)
<< Back