Head of Tjiuana Drug Cartel Captured in Mexico

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, March 10, 2002

Head of Tjiuana Drug Cartel Captured in Mexico

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The leader of the reputed Tjiuana Drug Cartel in Mexico, Benjamin Arellano Felix, was arrested in the early hours of Saturday by army special forces in the Mexican central city of Puebla, officials said.

Defense Minister Clemente Vega Alvarado told a news conference that Felix was captured in a house during a predawn raid during which no shots were fired, together with his lieutenant Manuel Gonzalez "La Mojarra."

President Vicente Fox called the arrest of Felix a "great triumph for justice" and a sign that his government was serious about combating drug mobs.

"Without doubt, this shows we're working very seriously to eradicate drug trafficking and production in Mexico and this is just one step that we've got to make this year," Fox told reporters.

Felix was taken to Mexico City, where he confirmed the death of his brother Ramon Arellano Felix in a shoot-out with police in February in the north Pacific city of Mazatlan, reports said.

Felix, together with Ramon, co-leader of the drug trafficking organization known as the Tijuana cartel, was among the most wanted in Mexico and the U.S.

The Tijuana drug cartel is believed to have slain numerous rivals, police officers and officials in its bid to control the multi-million dollar cocaine and marijuana trade on the border between the U.S. and Mexico.

On Friday, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced the arrest of 36 people in different U.S. cities for their suspected links with the Felix brothers.

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