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Mexico captures leading drug lord

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The Mexican government said on Monday it had captured the brutal leader of the Zetas drug cartel in an early-morning raid, marking the biggest victory for President Enrique Pena Nieto in his fight against gang violence.

Marines arrested Miguel Angel Trevino, aka Z-40, after intercepting his pick-up truck with a helicopter a few miles from his hometown of Nuevo Laredo on the US border, government spokesman Eduardo Sanchez said in Mexico City.

"Not a single shot was fired," Sanchez told reporters.

The Zetas are considered one of the most powerful and feared organized crime groups in Mexico, founded by former elite soldiers and known for their brutality. Trevino is an ex-police officer.

The Zetas have been blamed for many of the worst atrocities carried out by Mexican drug gangs, acts that have sullied the country's name and put fear into tourists and investors alike.

Following a tide of gang-related beheadings, massacres and gunfights that have claimed more than 70,000 lives since the start of 2007, Pena Nieto said his top priority was to restore stability when he took office in December.

Murders have fallen slightly, according to official statistics, but violent crime is still rampant in parts of Mexico and, until now, the new government had few outstanding successes to celebrate in its campaign to pacify the country.

Trevino, 40, was caught with two associates following a months-long operation to track him down, Sanchez said. Authorities also seized more than $2 million in cash and a cache of arms in the operation.