Officials arrest Baja massacre suspect

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- U.S. officials say they have arrested Jesus Ruben Mancada, who has been accused of taking part in the killings of 19 people in Baja California.

The 33-year-old, who allegedly is part of a drug cartel in Mexico, was arrested in Los Angeles and handed over to authorities in Mexico to face charges in relation to the 1998 massacre, the Los Angeles Times said Monday.

The deportation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Marshals Service was able to occur without difficulty after Mancada allegedly agreed to the transfer, the Times said.

The 1998 massacre took place at a Baja ranch where gunmen gathered 19 people, including young children, and shot them. Authorities suspect that the mass killing may have been related to drug trafficking, the Times said.

The press secretary for the Mexican attorney general's office, Fernando Castillo, applauded U.S. authorities for Mancada's arrest Thursday.

"This is a major breakthrough for Mexican law enforcement," Castillo said in a statement. "We have been actively seeking this fugitive since the brutal slayings 10 years ago."