MEXICO CITY — In a major strike against one of the largest drug-trafficking organizations, the Mexican navy said Thursday that it had detained one of the most sought-after drug kingpins in Mexico and the United States, the top leader of the Gulf Cartel.
In an early-morning news conference in Mexico City, the man, Jorge Eduardo Costilla Sanchez, who faces an array of charges in both countries, was marched before reporters by masked marine guards. He looked sternly at the gathering, standing before a table covered with rifle parts, fancy jewelry, a couple of gold-plated handguns, and other goods seized during his arrest Wednesday.
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Jose Luis Vergara, a marine spokesman reading a statement, said Costilla, 41, was detained without any resistance by about 30 marines in northeastern Tamaulipas State. Several other people were also detained with him.
The arrest gives Mexican forces a notable victory in their battle against drug-trafficking leaders, days ahead of Mexican Independence Day celebrations, and presents another blow to the Gulf Cartel.