Mexico arrests drug cartel number two

Sergio Villarreal, also known as 'El Grande,' was arrested in a non-violent operation in the city of Puebla.

He is accused of trafficking and carrying out murders for several of Mexico's brutal drug cartels. Authorities had offered a reward of 1.8 million euros for information leading to his arrest.

Before working for drug cartels, Villarreal worked in a federal police department and several state-level departments.

He joined Arturo Beltran Leyva's cartel in 2007, which ended up being taken over by Arturo's brother Hector Beltran Leyva after Arturo was killed last year.

Villarreal subsequently became Hector Beltran Leyva's right-hand man and became involved in a bloody struggle for cartel leadership, leaving behind dozens of beheaded or mutilated bodies.

Their main opponent, Edgar Valdez, “La Barbie”, was arrested on 30 August.

More than 28,000 people are believed to have been killed in cartel-related violence in Mexico since 2006, when President Felipe Calderon launched a military crackdown, deploying no fewer than 50,000 troops.

After the death of Arturo Beltran and the respective arrests of La Barbie and El Grande, Hector Beltran Leyva now appears to have emerged as the cartel's leader.

El Grande made headlines in 2008 when the daily Universal Publicó revealed that he had hosted Spanish actress Penelope Cruz and Mexican actress Selma Hayek at his ranch during the shooting of the film “Bandidas” in 2004.