Mexico's Federal Police arrested an alleged leader of the La Linea gang, based in Ciudad Juarez, who is accused of being involved in the murder of a U.S. consul official and others in 2010.
The police detained Jose Antonio Acosta Hernandez, alias "El Diego," on Friday in the state of Chihuahua, where Juarez is located. Acosta is alleged to be a leader of La Linea, a group which emerged as the enforcement arm of the Juarez Cartel.
Mexican authorities said that Acosta has confessed to ordering the murder of over 1,500 people. He is thought to have been involved in some of the most notorious crimes in the region, including the massacre of students unconnected to the drug trade in January 2010.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reportedly helped bring about Acosta's arrest by providing information. Acosta is suspected of organizing the murder of three people connected to the U.S. consulate in Ciudad Juarez in March 2010.
Acosta's arrest could be a major blow to the already weakened La Linea. The group is reported to have taken control of the Juarez Cartel, which is losing its battle with the Sinaloa Cartel for control of the strategically vital border city.
See video report by ITN, below.
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