(CNN) — Mexico confirmed Tuesday that its forces killed Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano, reputed boss of the ruthless Zetas cartel, but it remains uncertain what effect, if any, the killing will have on the larger scourge of drug trafficking and violence.
The kingpin’s death is arguably the Mexican government’s biggest takedown since President Felipe Calderon launched an offensive six years ago, but the record is mixed on the impact of such successes.
Mexican marines killed Lazcano in a shootout on Sunday in a small town in northern Mexico, 130 miles from the Texas border, the country’s navy said.
Lazcano was a onetime special forces soldier who became a founding member of the Zetas, a group accused of some of the most violent atrocities that have come to define the drug wars.
via Mexico confirms death of feared Zetas cartel leader – CNN.com.
