Mexico Busts Cartel Boss

More bad news for Mexico's Beltrán Leyva drug cartel: Police yesterday busted one of its top men, Sergio Villarreal Barragan, 40, known as "El Grande" or "King Kong." His capture is the latest in a string of blows against the group, including the death, in a raid late last year, of the group's head, Arturo Beltran Leyva. The group's alleged third-in-command, a Texas-born enforcer known as Barbie, was arrested last week.

The arrest is being hailed as an important victory for President Felipe Calderón's efforts to crack down on organized crime, notes the Wall Street Journal. "This is a new and devastating blow by the federal government against organized crime," said a government official. But elsewhere in Mexico, the chaos continues. Last week, 25 people were killed in a drug-related shootout and, in a separate incident, 85 inmates escaped from prison.
(More Mexican drug war stories.)