Notorious Mexican druglord slain

CUERNAVACA, Mexico, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- The leader of one of Mexico's most notorious drug cartels has been killed during a shootout with Mexican forces, authorities said.

Arturo Beltran Leyva, who headed a Sinaloa-based gang, died along with four gunmen during a gunfight Wednesday with Mexican navy forces in Cuernavaca, south of Mexico City, the navy told The Los Angeles Times.

The Beltran Leyva group had been singled out by U.S. authorities as a major trafficker of cocaine into the United States. The government had offered a $2 million reward for information leading to Beltran Leyva's capture.