Mexican Marines Capture Gulf Drug Cartel Leader 'el Coss'

Mexican Marines capture Gulf drug cartel leader 'El Coss' < br />

2012-09-13 18:14:25 GMT+7 (ICT)

MEXICO CITY (BNO NEWS) -- Mexican Marines on Wednesday captured a man believed to be the leader of the Gulf drug cartel, which controls some of the most violently contested smuggling routes along the U.S. border in northern Mexico, local authorities said on early Thursday.

Jorge Eduardo Costilla Sanchez, who is also known as 'el Coss', was captured by Mexican Marines in the coastal city of Tampico in the northern state of Tamaulipas. He was arrested without incident along with several other drug cartel members, although their identities were not immediately released.

Other details about the operation are expected later on Thursday when the Mexican Navy parades Costilla Sanchez and the other suspects before reporters. The U.S. government had previously issued a $5 million reward for information leading to the capture of Costilla Sanchez and Mexico's Attorney General's Office was offering 30 million pesos ($2.3 million).

The arrest comes just over a week after Marines arrested Mario Cardenas Guillen, who is also known as 'M-1' and 'el Gordo' (the fat one), during an operation in Altamira, a city in the northern state of Tamaulipas. Guillen is believed to have been one of the most senior leaders of the Gulf drug cartel.

The Gulf cartel, which controls some of the most valuable and violently contested smuggling routes in northern Mexico, is divided by supporters of the Cardenas Guillen family and others who support Jore Eduardo Costilla. The two arrests are believed to be a major blow to the drug trafficking organization, which has also been weakened by a violent turf war with the Zetas.

According to partial figures released in January, at least 12,903 people were killed in Mexico in violence blamed on organized crime from January to September 2011. Figures for the entire year are not yet available but they will likely bring the total figure for 2011 to more than 17,000, the highest annual number yet.

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