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| 'La Familia cartel boss' Mendez Vargas held in Mexico | 'La Familia cartel boss' Mendez Vargas held in Mexico |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Mexican President Felipe Calderon has congratulated police on the capture of the alleged leader of one the country's top drug gangs, the La Familia cartel. | Mexican President Felipe Calderon has congratulated police on the capture of the alleged leader of one the country's top drug gangs, the La Familia cartel. |
| Police arrested Jose de Jesus Mendez Vargas, also known as "The Monkey", in the central city of Aguascalientes. | Police arrested Jose de Jesus Mendez Vargas, also known as "The Monkey", in the central city of Aguascalientes. |
| Mr Calderon described the capture as a great blow to organised crime. | Mr Calderon described the capture as a great blow to organised crime. |
| La Familia has a reputation for violence but claims to protect local communities and promote family values. | La Familia has a reputation for violence but claims to protect local communities and promote family values. |
| Mexico's security spokesman Alejandro Poire said the arrest had "destroyed the chain of command" of the cartel. | |
| The Mexican Attorney General's Office said Mr Mendez Vargas was "responsible for the transfer and sale of cocaine, marijuana, crystal methamphetamine in various states of Mexico and the US". | |
| He is also accused of having masterminded the kidnappings and killings of rival gang members. | |
| International links | |
| A previous leader of La Familia, Nazario Moreno, was killed by security forces in December 2010. | A previous leader of La Familia, Nazario Moreno, was killed by security forces in December 2010. |
| Meanwhile, police in Colombia have arrested three men suspected of being senior figures in the international drugs trade. | |
| Julian Hernando Dias Porras, also known as "The Horseman", Orlando Rodriguez Castrillon, aka "The Indian", and Argemiro Sierra Pastrana, whose alias is the "Grey-Haired One", are wanted on charges of trafficking drugs from Colombia across most of Latin America, and to the US and Europe. | |
| The Colombian authorities said they would be extradited to Venezuela, Brazil and Argentina respectively. |