Aztecas Gang Leader Arrested Over Weekend

Via CNN.com -

An alleged gang member who police say was behind 80 percent of the killings in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, over the past 16 months was arrested over the weekend, officials said.

Police believe that Arturo Gallegos Castrellon, known as "El Farmero," was the leader of the Aztecas gang, a group closely linked with the Juarez cartel and its enforcement arm, La Linea.

Gallegos confessed to authorities that he ordered the killings of three people linked to the U.S. consulate in Juarez in March, as well as the attack on a party of young people that killed 14, federal police said.

The 32-year-old was arrested Saturday.

Gallegos "is allegedly responsible for homicides, extortions and distribution of drugs in all the sectors of Ciudad Juarez," the federal police said in a statement.

He was captured as part of an operation to dismantle the Aztecas gang, police said.

Surveillance and tips from the public led authorities to a house occupied by armed men, where Gallegos was arrested.

According to authorities, the gang leader also admitted to the killings of five federal police officers.

Two others were captured along with Gallegos. Carlos Rodriguez Ramirez, 41, is accused of smuggling drugs between Juarez and El Paso, Texas. Gisela Ornelas Nunez, 32, was identified as being in charge of transporting drugs and weapons to Juarez, police said.

Police seized two assault rifles and two handguns, along with 228 cartridges for different weapons. They also found 90 grams of what police believe is marijuana. Two cars and two trucks, including one that was armored, were also taken.