Major drug lord killed by Mexican Navy

Reuters:

Mexican security forces tracked down and killed drug lord Arturo Beltran Leyva, one of the most wanted traffickers in Mexico and the United States, in a victory for President Felipe Calderon's drug war.

Beltran Leyva, a cartel chief dubbed "The Boss of Bosses," was shot dead on Wednesday evening by Navy forces in a gated luxury residential complex in the southern city of Cuernavaca, a weekend getaway for wealthy city dwellers.

The strike, five days after Beltran Leyva escaped another army operation targeting him, is a major coup for Calderon at the end of a year when drug gang violence has exploded to unprecedented levels and cartel arrests have been flagging.

"We started following up our intelligence on Friday. It seems that that day he got away, but the proof of what we had is what we have delivered to the Mexican people today," Rear Admiral Jose Luis Vergara told Mexican television.

Beltran Leyva, 58, who ran a cartel based in northwestern Mexico bearing his family name, was an ally turned foe of Mexico's No.1 most wanted man, Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman, who has been on the run since escaping from prison in 2001.

Sometimes dubbed "White Boots" for the color of his leather cowboy boots, he enjoyed protection from corrupt police in Mexico City and surrounding states and moved between luxurious mansions and apartments, including in the Pacific beach resort of Acapulco.

Navy forces arrived by helicopter and television images showed them surrounding the residence in the dark amid the sound of gunshots and grenades. Security forces laid spikes on the road to stop anyone escaping by car.

Six bodyguards died with Beltran Leyva, one of whom shot himself rather than be taken and interrogated. One of the six was his brother Mario, Mexican media said.

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The use of Navy forces is interesting. My speculation is that Beltran Leyva had not bought influence in the Navy that would give him a warning. It does look like he got some kind of warning about the Army raid the week before.

The attrition suffered by the drug lords has to date not been sufficient to deter their operations. At some point it has to take its toll. Decapitation strikes like this should be more potent that the battle with street thugs.

The Houston Chronicle has more on Mexican gang violence.