Reuters AlertNet Full site
Homepage | Newsdesk | NGO Latest | Crisis briefings | Country profiles | MediaWatch | Jobs | Alerting | Login

NEWSDESK

Key Mexican drug hitman arrested near U.S. border
26 Jan 2008 20:25:48 GMT
 Source: Reuters
TIJUANA, Mexico, Jan 26 (Reuters) - A key hitman for Mexico's Arellano Felix drug cartel was arrested on Saturday in this crime-ridden border city, in another coup for President Felipe Calderon's clampdown on traffickers.

After an anonymous tip-off, soldiers stormed a house and arrested Alfredo Araujo Avila, also known as Popeye, Tijuana's military chief Gen. German Redondo told reporters.

"He is considered one of the most dangerous hitmen of the Arellano Felix cartel," Gen. Redondo said.

Araujo Avila had dodged arrest for a decade in Tijuana, which is just over the U.S. border from San Diego. He is wanted in the United States for drug trafficking and arms possession.

Mexican authorities filed an arrest warrant for him in 1998, alleging his involvement in the 1993 murder of Cardinal Juan Jesus Posadas Ocampo, who was gunned down at the airport of Mexico's second city, Guadalajara.

Araujo Avila was also wanted for allegedly taking part in the 2003 ambush of crusading Mexican drugs reporter Jesus Blancornelas.

The journalist was injured but survived the hail of bullets and named Araujo Avila as one of his attackers in subsequent articles. Blancornelas died of natural causes in 2006.

Calderon has sent more than 25,000 federal police and solders to hunt down drug cartel members near the U.S. border and in other troubled areas around Mexico.

Last Sunday, Mexican troops arrested Alfredo Beltran Leyva, a leading lieutenant of the cartel based in Sinaloa state, run by Mexico's most wanted man, Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman, who escaped from a high-security jail in 2001.

The arrest of Beltran Leyva was considered a victory for Calderon's drug crackdown.

The Arellano Felix cartel is mainly based around the city of Tijuana, which has seen a surge of drug-related violence. (Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz; Writing by Chris Aspin, editing by Philip Barbara)


AlertNet news is provided by
Email this article       Send comments

NGO latest

•  Mercy Corps Announces Innovative Public Space in New York City
Mercy Corps

•  "31,000 Hurricane Katrina Victims Still Living in FEMA Trailers", Robert Sharp, UMCOR
IRT - USA

•  The UMCOR Hotline for January 22, 2007
UMCOR - USA

•  CWS appeal: U.S. Winter Storms
CWS

•  NRC Launches Asian emergency roster
NRC - Norway

MORE >>

Latest news

•  Key Mexican drug hitman arrested near U.S. border

•  PFLP founder George Habash dies

•  FACTBOX-Former leader of the PFLP, George Habash, dies

•  Southern California avalanches kill three

•  PFLP founder George Habash dies - Palestinians

MORE >>

AlertNet news is provided by

Related articles

Breaking stories
Key Mexican drug hitman arrested near U.S. border (1 minute ago)

PFLP founder George Habash dies (1 minute ago)

AlertNet insight
Climate change and conflicts: Is there a link at all? (1 minute ago)

Aid agency news feed
Mercy Corps Announces Innovative Public Space in New York City (1 minute ago)

Blogs
Seven security barriers you might want to know about (1 minute ago)

Maps
MAPS : Mexico Floods (1 minute ago)


Country information

Facts & figures
Mexico United States of America

Del.icio.us Del.icio.us  |   Digg Digg  |   NewsVine NewsVine  |   Reddit Reddit   
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-01-18T010445Z_01_DAR13_RTRIDSP_2_MEXICO-VIOLENCE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/DAR13.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-01-18T010128Z_01_DAR12_RTRIDSP_2_MEXICO-VIOLENCE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/DAR12.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-01-18T005006Z_01_DAR11_RTRIDSP_2_MEXICO-VIOLENCE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/DAR11.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-01-18T003509Z_01_DAR10_RTRIDSP_2_MEXICO-VIOLENCE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/DAR10.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-01-18T003348Z_01_DAR09_RTRIDSP_2_MEXICO-VIOLENCE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/DAR09.htm

A policeman carries a child away during a gun battle in Tijuana, in Mexico's state of Baja California, January 17, 2008. A shootout on Thursday, after police agents moved in on ...


More pictures | Galleries
Disclaimers |  Copyright |  Privacy |  Contact Us |  Feedback |  About Us |  RSS XML

Last updated:Sat Jan 26 20:25:44 2008