World / Mexican drug cartel Hit Men Kill Family of Mexican Hero Sailor died in raid that took out drug lord Arturo Beltran Leyva By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff Posted Dec 22, 2009 12:26 PM CST Copied A soldier stands behind a body identified by navy officials as that of alleged drug cartel chief Arturo Beltran Leyva in Cuernavaca, Mexico, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2009. (AP Photo/Valente Rosas, Agencia El Universal) Dozens of gunmen burst into a house near Mexico City this morning and executed the mother, sister, and aunt of a serviceman who was killed in the raid that took down a major drug lord last week. Navy sailor Melquisedat Angulo Córdova, whose bravery had earned him the praise of President Felipe Calderon, had been buried with full honors just a few hours earlier. Two of his brothers were wounded in the assault. The revenge killing is a sign that the cocaine ring headed by Arturo Beltran Leyva is still operational despite its leader's fall, and that Mexico still can’t protect those waging the war against the drug rings, notes the Wall Street Journal. (More Mexican drug cartel stories.) Report an error