Mexico Arrests Suspected Leader Of Cartel That Moved 76 Tons Of Coke Into The U.S.

(EFE)

MEXICO CITY (AP) – Mexican officials say federal police have arrested a man suspected of leading a drug cartel that moved 76 tons of cocaine into the U.S. between 2000 and 2003.

The U.S. posted a $5 million reward for the capture of Tirso Martinez Sanchez, who was arrested Sunday in the city of Leon.

Officials say Martinez worked with powerful cartels including the Carrillo Fuentes and Beltran Leyva organizations, as well as Colombian smugglers Victor and Miguel Mejia Munera.

Martinez is being held in the high-security Altiplano prison in the state of Mexico.

The State Department says his group used front companies to smuggle cocaine in boats, rail tankers and trucks across Mexico's border with California and Texas and on to major U.S. cities. He is wanted on charges filed in New York.