MEXICO CITY – An alleged leader of a powerful drug gang was caught near the border with California, Mexican officials announced Monday, calling it a blow to a syndicate they say is smuggling nearly half the illegal drugs crossing the U.S.-Mexico frontier.
Gilberto Higuera Guerrero was arrested before dawn Sunday at a house in the border city of Mexicali, Attorney General Rafael Macedo de la Concha said at a news conference.
He described Higuera as the “principal operator” for drug boss Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, whose Mazatlan-based gang is said to be increasing its control of drug trafficking along Mexico’s western border with the United States.
“He’s practically a legend in drug trafficking,” Macedo said.
The U.S. State Department last year offered a $2 million reward for Higuera’s capture, although that was well short of the $5 million it offered for his alleged bosses at the time – brothers Javier and Eduardo Arellano Felix of Tijuana.
Macedo said Higuera split with the Arellano Felix gang late last year to join Zambada, and that split triggered a series of bloody confrontations between the two gangs in the Tijuana area.
While the United States has asked for Higuera’s extradition, Macedo said he would first be tried in Mexico, where he faces nearly a dozen charges of drug trafficking, arms violations and organized crime.
Macedo said intelligence gathered by Mexican and U.S. officials led to Higuera’s arrest, but he did not elaborate.
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