Mexican Drug Lord Killed

Mexican troops shot and killed Ignacio “Nacho” Coronel, one of the leaders of the Sinaloa drug cartel, in a firefight Thursday. The U.S. had offered a $5 million reward for Coronel’s capture.

What effect the drug lord’s death might have on Mexico’s costly and bloody effort to rein in the ever-more-violent drug cartels remains to be seen. —JCL

Al-Jazeera English:

A top Mexican drug trafficker has been killed in a raid by state security forces, defence department officials have said.

Ignacio “Nacho” Coronel was reportedly killed on Thursday while resisting arrest in the wealthy town of Zapopan in central Mexico.

Speaking to reporters in the capital Mexico City, Edgar Luis Villegas, the deputy defence minister, said an army raid was closing in on one of Coronel’s safehouses when the drug lord opened fire on soldiers.

“Nacho Coronel tried to escape, and fired on military personnel, killing one soldier and wounding another,” Luiz Villegas said.

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The FBI deemed Ignacio Coronel a major player in the global distribution of cocaine.