Mexican drug kingpin arrested

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration said it has arrested Oscar Arriola-Marquez, who it described as a major Mexican drug kingpin.

The DEA alleges that Arriola-Marquez led an international drug operation that distributed illegal drugs in Mexico and across the U.S. Southwest. Last June, President George W. Bush designated Arriola a foreign narcotics kingpin.

Authorities in the United States and Mexico allege that Arriola-Marquez ran an organization that trafficked thousands of kilos of cocaine and marijuana into the U.S. and laundered the resulting illegal proceeds, the DEA said in a release. It said the organization was known to have cells in eight U.S. states.

Arriola-Marquez was arrested in Torreon Coahuila, Mexico, in an operation by Mexico's Agencia Federal de Investigaciones and the DEA.

Arriola-Marquez was named in a December 2003 U.S. federal indictment that charged him with a series of crimes, including conspiracy to import a controlled substance and money laundering. If convicted, Arriola-Marquez could be sentenced to a minimum of 20 years in prison.