Police arrested a man Tuesday who they say headed the operations of the “La Familia” drug cartel in the western state of Michoacan. Abel Valadez Oribe, 32, was reportedly heading for a cockfight when police stopped his car and arrested him, authorities said. They said police were tipped to his whereabouts by several informants.
Police said that Oribe, known as “El Clinton,” was allegedly the mastermind behind several murders, including the assassination last year of Salvador Vergara, the 33-year-old mayor of Ixtapan de la Sal, a popular weekend retreat.
U.S. authorities arrested more than 300 people Friday in a sting focused on La Familia.