Drug llord Edgar Valdez Villareal alias 'La Barbie' arrested by Mexican police

Drug llord Edgar Valdez Villareal alias 'La Barbie' arrested by Mexican police. Mexican Police have arrested a U.S. born drug kingpin ‘La Barbie’ alias Edgar Valdez Villareal on Monday. He is suspected of taking a leading role in drug trafficking in the Pacific resort of Acapulco. He was captured in central Mexico after a yearlong investigation. U.S. authorities had also offered a $2 million reward for his arrest. In the U.S. he is accused of smuggling thousands of pounds of cocaine.

A Houston lawyer, who is representing Valdez said during his interaction with the Houston Chronicle that he fears his client will be tortured or worse before he can be returned to the United States for trial.

According to Mexican federal government source, Valdez was captured by federal police outside Mexico City and he was being held in the capital city at a secure location. The source said, "A result of intelligence gathered by the modernized federal police force he was arrested in the State of Mexico."

Some analysts feel that Valdez Villareal became a top member of Sinaloa Cartel after the Mexican Navy killed founder Arturo Beltran Leyva in December 2009.

Gary Hale said that Valdez could be among the top five traffickers in Mexico. Hale is the recently retired chief of intelligence for the Drug Enforcement Administration's Houston Division. He said, "It is a big deal to capture a cartel head who happens to be a U.S. citizen."

Defense attorney, Kent Schaffer that his client was on the run and knew time was running out. "You die, get caught or spend your life looking over your shoulder. We thought there was a distinct possibility, he added."