NO ROSES--THE "BOSS OF BOSSES" OF THE DRUG CARTELS IS "PUSHING UP DAISYS"

AS WE ALL KNOW, NOT EVERYTHING IS ROSES IN MEXICO, BUT THE "BOSS OF BOSSES" OF THE DRUG CARTELS IS "PUSHING UP DAISYS" TODAY. The government is winning little by little. All of this is happening south of Mexico City. It is important to note that the wars in Mexico are between the different drug cartels as well as the Mexican government.  We rarely hear of tourest being involved. Here is the story from MSNBC and Associated Press (Copyright 2009 The Associated Press)     (I edited out a lot):


Mexican raid kills drug cartel ‘Boss of Bosses’
Officials had offered $2.1 million reward for capture of Arturo Beltran Leyva

CUERNAVACA, Mexico - Two hundred Mexican Navy marines stormed an upscale apartment complex and killed a reputed drug cartel chief in a two-hour gunbattle, one of the biggest victories yet in President Felipe Calderon's drug war.

Arturo Beltran Leyva, the "boss of bosses," and six members of his cartel died in the shootout Wednesday in Cuernavaca, just south of Mexico City, according to a navy statement Thursday.

The body of one cartel member was found on the ground outside the third-floor apartment, after he apparently committed suicide during the shootout.

An Associated Press reporter at the scene heard at least 10 explosions during the firefight, which residents said lasted at least 90 minutes. Witnesses said the raid began when marines rappelled down ropes onto the roofs of some of the apartment buildings at dusk.

Beltran Leyva's body still lay early Thursday; his skull and one arm were mangled by bullet wounds, and in one hand he clutched a large gold-colored medallion.

President Felipe Calderon, speaking from the Copenhagen climate summit, said "this action represents an important achievement for the government and people of Mexico, and a resounding blow against one of the most dangerous criminal organizations in Mexico, and on the continent."

Calderon described Beltran Leyva as "one of the three most-wanted" drug suspects in Mexico. Beltran Leyva is the highest-ranking figure taken down under Calderon, who has deployed more than 45,000 troops across Mexico to crush the cartels since taking office in December 2006.

Beltran Leyva had narrowly escaped attempts to arrest him in recent months, including a Friday raid on an alleged drug cartel holiday party at a mansion in the town of Tepotzlan, near Cuernavaca, where authorities killed three alleged Beltran Leyva cartel members and detained 11.

The split is believed to have fueled much of Mexico's bloodshed of recent years.

One of the brothers, Alfredo Beltran Leyva, was arrested in January 2008.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration says the Beltran Leyva cartel has smuggled tons of cocaine into the United States, as well as large quantities of heroin.

The Mexican government had offered a $2.1 million reward for Beltran Leyva's capture.

U.S. officials say the Beltran Leyva Cartel has carried out heinous killings, including numerous beheadings of rival traffickers or kidnappers invading what the gang considered its turf. Mexico leader proposes major political reforms

Beheadings ; U.S. officials say the Beltran Leyva Cartel has carried out heinous killings, including numerous beheadings. . The U.S government added Beltran Leyva and his cartel to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act last year, a movement that denied him access to the U.S. financial system.

"Boss of Bosses," Beltran Leyva's nickname.

From msnbc.com

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

December 17, 2009 1:48 PM