Mexican police have arrested a drug cartel leader who has admitted ordering the murder of 1,500 people. Jose Antonio Acosta Hernandez, 33, used to be a police officer but is now head of La Linea - a gang of enforcers for the Juárez cartel comprised of of hitmen and corrupt police officers.
Acosta Hernandez was captured on Friday in the northern city of Chihuahua along with his bodyguard, after a gun battle between police and gang members. His arrest was confirmed on Sunday, when Mexican authorities paraded him in front of journalists in Mexico City.
Juarez is Mexico's most violent city, with more than 3,000 murders in 2010 and officials believe Acosta Hernandez plays a crucial role in the Juarez cartel. It is widely thought that he was the mastermind of last year's killing of a US consulate employee, her husband and the husband of another consulate worker. The US has now said they want to prosecute Acosta for their deaths and Mexican authorities are expecting an extradition request.
Head of Mexico's federal police anti-drug unit Ramon Pequeno said Mr Acosta Hernandez had also admitted to ordering the killing of 15 people, most of them teenagers, at a party in Juarez last year.
The Juarez cartel have been involved in a three-year turf war with the Sinaloa gang over the city's smuggling corridors.