Mexican authorities say they have dealt a severe blow to the Tijuana Cartel with the arrest of Eduardo Arellano Félix, the last in a ruling clique of five brothers to be captured or killed by authorities in recent years. Arellano opened fire on soldiers and federal agents Oct. 25 as they raided a home in the upscale Tijuana suburb of Fraccionamiento Pedregal. After a shoot-out, Arellano—who had a $5 million US State Department price on his head—was subdued and flown to Mexico City. "He is pretty much the last major player of what was once the powerful Arellano Félix organization," said Eileen Zeidler of the San Diego DEA office. (San Diego Union-Tribune [2], Oct. 27)
When brother Francisco Javier Arellano Felix [3] was busted two years ago, we predicted that "his demise will merely set off a violent succession struggle." Alas, we sure called that one right.
See our last post on Mexico's narco wars [4].
