Key Mexican drug hitman arrested near U.S. border

TIJUANA, Mexico – A key hitman for Mexico's Arellano Felix drug cartel was arrested on Saturday in this crime-ridden border city, in another coup for President Felipe Calderón's clampdown on traffickers.

After an anonymous tip-off, soldiers stormed a house and arrested Alfredo Araujo Avila, also known as Popeye, Tijuana's military chief Gen. German Redondo told reporters.

“He is considered one of the most dangerous hitmen of the Arellano Felix cartel,” Gen. Redondo said.

Araujo Avila had dodged arrest for a decade in Tijuana, which is just over the U.S. border from San Diego. He is wanted in the United States for drug trafficking and arms possession.

Mexican authorities filed an arrest warrant for him in 1998, alleging his involvement in the 1993 murder of Cardinal Juan Jesus Posadas Ocampo, who was gunned down at the airport of Mexico's second city, Guadalajara.

Araujo Avila was also wanted for allegedly taking part in the 2003 ambush of crusading Mexican drugs reporter Jesus Blancornelas.

The journalist was injured but survived the hail of bullets and named Araujo Avila as one of his attackers in subsequent articles. Blancornelas died of natural causes in 2006.

Calderón has sent more than 25,000 federal police and solders to hunt down drug cartel members near the U.S. border and in other troubled areas around Mexico.

Last Sunday, Mexican troops arrested Alfredo Beltran Leyva, a leading lieutenant of the cartel based in Sinaloa state, run by Mexico's most wanted man, Joaquin “Shorty” Guzman, who escaped from a high-security jail in 2001.

The arrest of Beltran Leyva was considered a victory for Calderón's drug crackdown.

The Arellano Felix cartel is mainly based around the city of Tijuana, which has seen a surge of drug-related violence.

Alfredo Araujo Avila, a key hitman for Mexico's Arellano Felix drug cartel, is shown to the media after he was arrested in Tijuana January 26, 2007. Araujo Avila had dodged arrest for a decade in Tijuana, Mexican authorities filed an arrest warrant for him in 1998, alleging his involvement in the 1993 murder of Cardinal Juan Jesus Posadas Ocampo, who was gunned down at the airport of Mexico's second city, Guadalajara. He is also wanted in the United States for drug trafficking and arms possession. REUTERS/Stringer (MEXICO)

Félix was allegedly one of the most violent members of the cartel and was a suspect in various murders. Arellano Félix had been linked by Mexican police to the 1997 massacre of twelve members of a family outside of Ensenada, Baja California. The family was related to a drug dealer that had an unpaid debt to the Arellano Félix Cartel.

On September 18, 1997, Ramón Arellano Félix became the 451st person to be added by the FBI to the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. Leading to his Most Wanted Fugitive listing in the United States, he had been charged in a sealed indictment in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California, with Conspiracy to Import Cocaine and Marijuana in drug trafficking.

Some of his aliases were “Patrón”, “Colores”, “Comandante Mon”. He was believed to have a soft voice. He also had gold incrustations in his gun. His favorite vehicles were Chevrolet Silverados and Tahoes. He also favored Chevrolet Suburbans.

Death and aftermath

Ramón Arellano Félix was killed in a gun fight in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, with Mexican police protecting rival drug traffickers on February 10, 2002. It is suspected that he was in Mazatlán to kill his bitter rival Ismael Zambada García. Arellano’s older brother, Benjamín Arellano Félix, the cartel’s mastermind, was arrested weeks later on March 9. The youngest of the Arellano brothers, Francisco Javier Arellano Félix, was arrested with some associates at sea, by the United States Coast Guard, on August 14, 2006. They were in international waters 15 miles off the coast of Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. He was extradicted to the U.S. on September 16, 2006. Also, the FBI is looking for one more brother of the Arellano-Félix cartel, Eduardo Arellano Félix. The FBI is offering a reward of up to US$5,000,000 with information leading to the arrest of this fugitive.

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