Mexican federal police say they have captured one of the nation's most notorious drug lords, Servando "la Tuta" Gomez.
Government officials say Gomez was captured Friday in the western state of Michoacan without a shot being fired.
Gomez was the leader of the Knights Templar cartel that dominated politics and commerce across Michoacan. He was the latest in a string of Knights Templar chiefs to be brought down by federal officials.
A former grade-school teacher - hence his nickname, "the teacher" - the gregarious Gomez fashioned himself as a benevolent outlaw, breaking laws but also giving generously to the poor. The latest in a succession of leaders of the Knights Templar, he ran the cartel with a strict code of ethics that described the group's mission as a war on poverty.
His arrest was preceded last week by the arrests of several of his associates. Government officials said months of intelligence work led to his arrest.
Material for this report came from AP, AFP, and Reuters.
