NEW YORK MOST WANTED DRUG BARON CAUGHT IN MEXICO

Mexican officials say federal police have arrested a man suspected of leading a drug cartel that moved 76 tons of cocaine into the U.S. between 2000 and 2003.

The U.S. has been offering a $5 million reward for the capture of Tirso Martinez Sanchez, 47, who was arrested Sunday in the city of Leon.

Officials say Martinez worked with powerful cartels including the Carrillo Fuentes and Beltran Leyva organizations, as well as Colombian smugglers Victor and Miguel Mejia Munera.

Martinez is being held in the high-security Altiplano prison in Leon, Mexico.

The State Department says Martinez's group used front companies to smuggle cocaine in boats, rail tankers and trucks across Mexico's border with California and Texas and on to major U.S. cities.

He is wanted on charges filed in New York.

Mexico's Interior Ministry said in a statement that the arrest was the result of intelligence work by the country's federal police. It said that not one shot was fired during the operation.

Police believe Martinez Sanchez worked with other drug lords in Mexico as well as in Colombia, the statement said.

Tirso Martinez Sanchez, 47, was arrested in the city of Leon, Mexico on Sunday

He is wanted on charges filed in New York City for allegedly smuggling 76 tons of cocaine into the U.S. between 2000 and 2003

The State Department was offering $5 million for his capture

He is accused of heading up a drug cartel that used front companies to smuggle drugs into the U.S.

reference: dailymail