Alleged drug kingpin arrested in Mexico
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
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Image: Drug Enforcement Administration.
(Image missing from Commons: image; log)
Teodoro García Simental, alleged to be a major kingpin in Mexico, has been arrested by Federal Police in southern Baja California.
"No shots were fired. It was a very fast operation. The investigation has been going on for a long time," an unnamed police officer told Reuters. Simental was handcuffed and swiftly flown to Mexico City.
The United States Drug Enforcement Administration spokesperson Michael Sanders said the DEA assisted in the arrest. "He is one the most notorious drug lords and was on a list of the Top 24 drug traffickers in all of Mexico," said a member of the DEA.
Simental was presented to the press where Ramon Pequeno of the Federal Police said: "He was one of the most wanted suspects by both the Mexican and U.S. governments."
According to The New York Times Simental used to be a top hitman for the Tijuana Arellano-Felix cartel before assuming control. He is said to be particularly brutal, pinning cautionary notes to his victims or dissolving them in caustic soda.
It is estimated that 17,000 people have been killed in the last three years of the Mexican Drug War.
Sources
- Terry Frieden. "Notorious drug trafficker arrested, Mexico says" — CNN, January 12, 2010
- "Mexico captures major Tijuana drug gang leader" — Reuters, January 12, 2010
- "Biographical Data on Alleged Tijuana Drug Lord" — The New York Times, January 12, 2010
