Mexican security forces have arrested one of the country's most dangerous and most brutal drug traffickers in a raid in the seaside city of La Paz on the northwestern Baja California peninsula.

The arrest of Teodoro 'El Teo' Garcia Simental, is the second major victory for Mexico's narcotics squad in less than a month. According to a federal police official, Garcia "was one of the most sought-after criminals by the governments of Mexico and the United States". He was on a list of Mexico's 24 most-wanted drug lords and the authorities were offering a reward of up to 1.58 million euros for his capture.
 

The federal police believe Garcia to be responsible for dozens of murders in northern Mexico and blamed him for a wave of attacks in kill one in recent years. Last year, a contract killer hired by El Teo confessed to dissolving hundreds of bodies with chemicals.
 

Garcia's arrest is a significant victory for President Felipe Calderon's crackdown on spiralling drug violence in Mexico. More than 15,000 people have been killed in the drug-related violence over the last three years.

Photgraph: Antanith/Flickr