Alleged Mexican Drug Kingpin 'The Barbie' Presented to Media
VOA News
31 August 2010
Mexican authorities have presented alleged drug kingpin Edgar Valdez Villarreal to journalists, one day after he was captured in central Mexico.
Valdez - known as "The Barbie" because of his fair complexion - was brought before the media Tuesday at police headquarters in Mexico City. The Texas-born Valdez was handcuffed and dressed casually in a green polo shirt and blue jeans.
Officials say the Valdez, 37, was captured following an intelligence operation that began in June of last year.
The arrest is considered a victory for Mexican President Felipe Calderon and his war against the country's drug cartels.
Valdez has been linked to Arturo Beltran-Leyva, who headed the Beltran-Leyva cartel until his death late last year in a military operation.
Valdez's arrest comes more than two months after he was indicted by a federal grand jury in Atlanta, Georgia. The indictment charged Valdez and five other defendants with importing and distributing thousands of kilograms of cocaine from Mexico into the eastern U.S. between 2004 and 2006.
The U.S. State Department had offered a $2 million reward for information leading to Valdez's capture.
His capture Monday came hours after Mexican officials announced the firing of 3,200 federal police officers, or nearly 10 percent of the force. Officials were seeking to curb widespread corruption among police.
Federal Police Commissioner Facundo Rosas said the officers were fired for failing to carry out duties established in federal police law. The fired agents are barred from taking jobs in any other Mexican security force.
Additionally, officials say another 1,020 federal police who failed to pass lie detector and other tests face disciplinary action.
Before the dismissals, there were about 34,500 federal police officers on the force.
More than 28,000 people have been killed in Mexico's drug war since President Calderon took office in late 2006 and began cracking down on the cartels.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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