Raul Lucio Hernandez Lechuga, alias "El Lucky" or "Z-16," was detained Monday near the city of Cordoba in eastern Veracruz state with four other suspected Zetas after an operation of more than one year, justice and navy authorities said in a statement.
A shootout between his suspected bodyguards and soldiers during the capture left one bodyguard dead and one soldier wounded, navy spokesman vice admiral Jose Luis Vergara told a news conference Tuesday.
Hernandez, who was on a list of the country`s 37 most dangerous criminals, had worked directly with the leader of the feared Zetas, Heriberto Lazcano "El Lazca," it said.
Hernandez allegedly led the gang in the area of Veracruz when nine marines were abducted earlier this year.
Mexican and US authorities each offered a reward of around one million dollars for information leading to his capture.
The Zetas -- former hitmen for the Gulf cartel -- have spread fear with kidnappings and killings across Mexico and also in Guatemala in recent years.
Hernandez was allegedly one of some 40 military deserters who set up the gang at the end of the 1990s. (*)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
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