Mexico Captures Suspected Drug Lord Linked To 76 Tons Of Cocaine Shipped Into The US

REUTERS/Eliana Aponte

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's federal police on Sunday said they arrested suspected drug boss Tirso Martinez Sanchez, who has been wanted in the United States and Mexico for allegedly running an operation that smuggled tons of cocaine across the border and into the United States and Europe.

The U.S. State Department has been offering a $5 million reward for information that could lead to the capture o fMartinez Sanchez, believed to be the leader of a group that brought 76 tons of cocaine into the United States between 2000 and 2003.

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.

(Reporting by Elinor Comlay; Editing by Leslie Adler)