Mexican security forces tracked down and killed drug lord Arturo Beltran Leyva, one of the most wanted traffickers in Mexico and the United States, in a victory for President Felipe Calderon's drug war.
Beltran Leyva, a cartel chief dubbed 'The Boss of Bosses', was shot dead on Wednesday evening by Navy forces in a gated luxury residential complex in the southern city of Cuernavaca, a weekend getaway for wealthy city dwellers.
The strike, five days after Beltran Leyva escaped another army operation targeting him, is a major coup for Calderon at the end of a year when drug gang violence has exploded to unprecedented levels and cartel arrests have been flagging.
"We started following up our intelligence on Friday. It seems that that day he got away, but the proof of what we had is what we have delivered to the Mexican people today," Rear Admiral Jose Luis Vergara told Mexican television.
Beltran Leyva (58), who ran a cartel based in northwestern Mexico bearing his family name, was an ally turned foe of Mexico's number one most wanted man, Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman, who has been on the run since escaping from prison in 2001.
Sometimes dubbed "White Boots" for the colour of his leather cowboy boots, he enjoyed protection from corrupt police in Mexico City and surrounding states and moved between luxurious mansions and apartments, including in the Pacific beach resort of Acapulco.
Navy forces arrived by helicopter and television images showed them surrounding the residence in the dark amid the sound of gunshots and grenades. Security forces laid spikes on the road to stop anyone escaping by car.
Six bodyguards died with Beltran Leyva, one of whom shot himself rather than be taken and interrogated. One of the six was his brother Mario, Mexican media said.
Reuters