Alfredo ``El Mochomo'' Beltran Leyva was arrested today with four of his brothers in Sinaloa state, the Mexican Attorney General's office said in a statement. His boss, Joaquin ``El Chapo'' Guzman escaped from prison in 2001 and is Mexico's most wanted criminal.
Beltran was allegedly in charge of transporting drugs, bribing officials and laundering money for the cartel, led by Mexico's most-wanted alleged drug lord, Joaquin Guzman.He also commanded two groups of hitmen for the cartel, whose reach extends to the northwestern state of Sonora and the southern state of Oaxaca, Cen said.
The black-bearded Beltran — dressed in jeans, a dark jacket and boots — was led in handcuffs in front of reporters at the airport hangar of the Mexican attorney general's office, before authorities flew him by helicopter to an undisclosed location.
Beltran was captured with two suitcases containing $900,000, a Kalashnikov rifle, a luxury sport utility vehicle and 11 expensive watches, authorities said.
Mexican elite soldiers, with the help of law-enforcement officials, seized $900,000 in cash, an AK-47 assault rifle, eight guns, a BMW vehicle and 11 luxury watches during the arrest, the statement said.
President Felipe Calderon has used the army to crack down on drug trafficking and related violence since taking office in December 2006. Organized criminals killed more than 2,000 people in 2007 and more than 100 so far this year, according to daily newspaper El Universal.
Police have netted dozens of hit men in northern states after deadly shootouts this month.
Police first issued an arrest warrant for Beltran Leyva in 2001, on organized crime charges. They later issued more arrest warrants in 2002 and 2005 for drug trafficking and carrying illegal weapons.
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