Mexican drug kingpin extradited to U.S. to face racketeering, drug conspiracy charges. The Mexican government Friday extradited to the U.S. drug kingpin Benjamin Arellano Felix, the former leader of one of Mexico’s most feared and powerful organized crime groups, whose ruthless reign transformed northern Baja California into a major drug trafficking corridor into the U.S. Arellano Felix, who has been incarcerated in a Mexican prison since his arrest in 2002, was flown to San Diego and transferred to the downtown Metropolitan Correctional Center, where he will be held under tight security during court proceedings that are expected to last months. INTERACTIVE: Mexico Under Seige The extradition marks the end of a long effort by U.S. authorities to get Arellano Felix into a U.S. courtroom. He faces racketeering and drug conspiracy charges as part of a San Diego federal grand jury indictment that has already led to the arrests and convictions of several of his brothers and associates from the cartel’s heyday during the 1980s and 1990s. -- Richard Marosi in San Diego.
Mexico's Drug War - Stories, Photos, Videos - Mexico Under Siege - World News - Los Angeles Times. Grisly crime surges into spotlight as Mexico shifts drug war strategy. The area surrounding Uruapan, in the Mexican state of Michoacan, has been the focus of ongoing violence from drug trafficking since at least 2006. The following images chronicle the history of that extremely graphic violence. The bodies of seven men arranged in chairs are pictured in Uruapan, in the Mexican state of Michoacan, on March 23. The men were shot in the head with threat messages nailed to some of their chests using ice picks. Delivery trucks from the Mexican snacks company Sabritas burn after assailants set them on fire at a warehouse in Lazaro Cardenas, in the Mexican state of Michoacan, on May 26, 2012.
At least three warehouses and 28 vehicles were damaged in a series of coordinated arson attacks against the company in the towns of Lazaro Cardenas, Uruapan and Apatzingan. Drug cartel members posted banners saying the snack company let law enforcement agents use its trucks for surveillance, a charge the company denied. Drugs bring violence to Uruapan, Mexico "The focus of U.S. Two Powerful Cartels Dominate in Mexico Drug War. Sep 26, 2011: Two people lie dead after unknown gunmen opened fire killing them inside their vehicle in the Pacific resort city of Acapulco, Mexico. Acapulco has seen a surge of crime incidents as rival drug gangs battle for control.AP2011 VERACRUZ, Mexico -- Five years after President Felipe Calderon launched an offensive against Mexico's five main drug cartels, the nation is now dominated by two powerful organizations that appear poised for a one-on-one battle to control drug markets and trafficking routes.
The government's success in killing or arresting some cartel leaders has fractured most of the other gangs to such an extent that they have devolved into quarreling bands, or been forced to operate as subsidiaries of the two main cartels. That has often meant expanded territory and business opportunities for the hyper-violent Zetas and drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's Sinaloa cartel. Strategies differ. Their operations differ too. "The Zetas aren't good for business. Money They Made in A Couple Of Days. Drug Routes. Mexican drug cartels. Juarez Mexico, territorio de pandillas y Carteles.