Mexico: Zetas Drugs Boss 'Killed' In Shootout

Top drugs cartel leader Heriberto Lazcano is reported to have been killed in a gunfight with marines in Mexico.

The Mexican navy said there was strong evidence that the body of one of two men killed in the Sunday exchange of fire was Lazcano, known as "El Lazca" but said more tests would have to be done before official confirmation.

"Information was obtained after the first forensics tests were carried out that yielded indications that suggest that one of the bodies is Heriberto Lazcano," the navy's statement said.

"The Navy Department is coordinating efforts with Coahuila state, and will be awaiting the conclusions of the forensics examination in the case."

The death of Lazcano, if confirmed, would be a major victory for Mexican law enforcement.

The Zetas cartel that he helped found with other deserters from an elite army unit went on to carry out some of Mexico's bloodiest massacres, biggest jail breaks and fiercest attacks on authorities.

Lazcano, who is also known as "El Verdugo" (the executioner) for his brutality, is suspected of involvement in hundreds of killings, including the June 2004 slaying of Francisco Ortiz Franco, a top editor of a crusading weekly newspaper in Tijuana that often reported on drug trafficking.

Ortiz Franco was murdered in front of his two young children as he left a clinic.

The US had offered a $5m (3.1m) reward and Mexico an additional $2.3m (1.4m) for information leading to Lazcano's arrest.

The navy sent out a patrol to investigate the incident, which happened about 80 miles west of the Texas border, near Laredo, after complaints about armed men in the area.

Continue reading here:
Mexico: Zetas Drugs Boss 'Killed' In Shootout