Mexican authorities say they have arrested the brother of a powerful drug boss who was killed two weeks ago.
The Public Safety Office said in a statement Saturday that Carlos Beltran Leyva was arrested Wednesday in the northern state of Sinaloa. He was carrying false identification documents. It is not clear why there has been a delay in the announcement of his detention.
Two weeks ago, his brother Arturo, a wanted drug gang kingpin, was killed in a shootout with the navy's security forces in the city of Cuernavaca, south of Mexico City.
The Beltran Leyva drug cartel, run by five brothers, is one of Mexico's most powerful illegal drug organizations. It is known for its grisly killings and for moving big shipments of marijuana and cocaine into the United States.
The arrest of Carlos and the death of Arturo are a victory for Mexican President Felipe Calderon's drug offensive as gang-related violence climbs in Mexico. Despite deploying nearly 50,000 troops against the cartels in Mexico since taking office in 2006, more than 14, 000 people have been killed in drug-related violence.
Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters.
