Mexican marines nab top drug lieutenant without fight

Authorities arrest alleged drug trafficker Sergio Villarreal on Sunday. He was one of Mexico's most wanted men. Photo: AFP

Mexican marines captured a top lieutenant of a leading drug cartel Sunday, officials said, as authorities continue their campaign against drug kingpins.

Sergio Villarreal, dubbed "El Grande," was a leading member of the Beltran Leyva cartel and did not resist capture when dozens of marines using armored vehicles cornered him at a safe house in the central Mexican city of Puebla.

"The capture of Sergio Villarreal ... is another of the federal government's continued strikes against a highly dangerous criminal organization that is today badly weakened," national security spokesman Alejandro Poire said during a news conference Sunday night.

The Beltran Leyva cartel has suffered several recent setbacks since marines in December killed the leader of the gang, Arturo Beltran Leyva, and after Edgar "La Barbie" Valdez was captured late last month.

The cartel leadership is believed to be in disarray with the killing and capture of many leading figures in the last 10 months.

More than 28,000 people have died since Mexican President Felipe Calderon launched his crackdown on drug cartels in 2006.

While the security forces can boast recent successes against the Beltran Leyva gang, several other drug cartels are firmly rooted around the country and use violence to control their smuggling routes.

Reuters