June 21, 2011 - One of the head honchos of Mexico's "La Familia" was captured by Mexican federal agents today. (Video below, en Espanol)
Officials call the arrest of Jose de Jesus Mendez Vargas, also known as 'El Chango' or 'The Monkey,' a major blow to the drug cartel.
He was one of Mexico's most-wanted drug lords, He was taken down in the central Mexican state of Aguascalientes. Authorities say there was no struggle in the arrest.
Although they have reason to celebrate, Mexican authorities know all too well that other cartel leaders will quickly move to replace him in the hierarchy. However, there are probably even some drug cartel leaders who are happy about El Chango's arrest. The competition among rival crime gangs, after all, is fierce and deadly.
Mendez Vargas was "locked in an especially deadly internal fight in recent months," reports the Los Angeles Times. He led a faction of La Familia, says their report, that was a "ruthless and sometimes cult-like network that authorities say specializes in producing and shipping methamphetamine to the United States. La Familia is based in Michoacan, the home state of President Felipe Calderon and a region strategically important for drug trafficking because of its rough terrain and large seaport." More about the arrest of Mendez Vargas at the LA Times...
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Top Mexico Drug Lord 'El Chango' Captured Alive
June 21, 2011 - One of the head honchos of Mexico's "La Familia" was captured by Mexican federal agents today. (Video below, en Espanol)
Officials call the arrest of Jose de Jesus Mendez Vargas, also known as 'El Chango' or 'The Monkey,' a major blow to the drug cartel.
He was one of Mexico's most-wanted drug lords, He was taken down in the central Mexican state of Aguascalientes. Authorities say there was no struggle in the arrest.
Although they have reason to celebrate, Mexican authorities know all too well that other cartel leaders will quickly move to replace him in the hierarchy. However, there are probably even some drug cartel leaders who are happy about El Chango's arrest. The competition among rival crime gangs, after all, is fierce and deadly.
Mendez Vargas was "locked in an especially deadly internal fight in recent months," reports the Los Angeles Times. He led a faction of La Familia, says their report, that was a "ruthless and sometimes cult-like network that authorities say specializes in producing and shipping methamphetamine to the United States. La Familia is based in Michoacan, the home state of President Felipe Calderon and a region strategically important for drug trafficking because of its rough terrain and large seaport." More about the arrest of Mendez Vargas at the LA Times...
