Hitman ‘El Diego’ could be extradited following arrest
A hitman who once organised a killing outside a children's party in Mexico could face being extradited to the US after being caught by officials.
Jose Antonio 'El Diego' Acosta Hernandez has admitted to ordering the executions of 1,500 people over the past three years, including pregnant US Consulate employee Lesley Enriquez and her husband as they left a kids' celebration.
The 33-year-old leader of the Juarez drug cartel's La Linea wing had a price on his head of $1.2 million (£730,000) before he was caught in a shootout in Mexico.
"We are happy with the arrest and congratulate the Mexican authorities. Any time a top level cartel member is arrested is a good thing for both the United States and Mexico," a spokesperson for the US Consulate in Ciudad Juarez said.
President Felipe Calderon said El Diego's capture is his biggest victory in the battle against violence in the city, reported the Boston Globe.
