Leader of Mexican La Familia Cartel "El Chayo" Dead

Bloomberg Business Week

Nazario Moreno Gonzalez, the leader of Mexico’s La Familia drug cartel, was shot and killed December 8, 2010 by authorities in the western state of Michoacan, government security spokesman Alejandro Poire said today.

Moreno, known as “El Chayo,” was a founder of what the U.S. government calls “one of Mexico’s newest and most violent drug cartels.” The Mexican government had Moreno on its most- wanted list, offering 30 million pesos ($2.4 million) for information that could lead to his arrest.

Moreno was killed amid battles between security officials and gunmen that began Dec. 8 when cartel members traded fire with police in the city of Apatzingan. Gunmen then burned vehicles and blocked roads leading to the state capital of Morelia. The violence this week killed five federal policemen, three civilians and three gang members, Poire said.

“In recent days we’ve seen a criminal organization repudiated by the population and debilitated in a significant manner,” Poire said at a Mexico City news conference. “It’s the moment to intensify pressure on this organization.”

The government will increase the number of air and ground troops deployed in Michoacan, Poire said.

La Familia has operated in Michoacan since 2000, trafficking and producing drugs and committing acts of extortion, kidnapping and homicide, Poire said.