Mexican navy official says alleged drug cartel chief Arturo Beltran Leyva killed in shootout

Navy official: alleged Mexican cartel chief killed

MEXICO CITY — One of the most wanted figures in the drug war was killed in a shootout with the Mexican navy Wednesday, an official said.

Arturo Beltran Leyva and three members of his drug cartel died in the gunbattle in a gated, upscale apartment complex in Cuernavaca, just south of Mexico City. A fifth suspect committed suicide during the shootout, said the official, who under navy rules could not give his name.

One sailor was injured, he said.

Beltran Levya, known as the “boss of bosses,” was one of four brothers who split from the Sinaloa cartel several years ago and aligned themselves with Los Zetas, a group of former soldiers hired by the Gulf Cartel as hit men.

That split is believed to have fueled much of the bloodshed across Mexico, where more than 14,000 people have been killed in the past three years.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration says the Beltran Leyva cartel is a key organization in importing and distributing tons of cocaine in the United States, as well as large quantities of heroin.

The Mexican government lists Arturo Beltran Leyva as one its 24 most-wanted drug lords and had offered a $2.1 million reward for his capture.

The navy official said more than 200 sailors raided the apartment complex as part of a crackdown on the Beltran Leyva cartel in central Mexico. The raid sparked a gunbattle that lasted nearly two hours.

The raid followed another on a party Friday in the nearby town of Tepoztlan, in which sailors detained Ramon Ayala, a Texas-based norteno singer, and 11 alleged Beltran Leyva members.