Arnoldo Rueda Medina is a Mexican criminal dedicated to drug trafficking and formerly employed as a lieutenant for La Familia Cartel, which is based in Michoacán

Michoacán

Michoacán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 113 municipalities and its capital city is Morelia...

, Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

. Rueda was allegedly in charge of operations under La Familia leaders Nazario Moreno González

Nazario Moreno González

Nazario Moreno González was a Mexican drug lord of the La Familia drug cartel, headquartered in the state of Michoacán.-Biography:...

 and José de Jesús Méndez Vargas

José de Jesús Méndez Vargas

José de Jesús Méndez Vargas is a Mexican drug lord and leader of the La Familia drug cartel, headquartered in the state of Michoacán....

, who are both on Mexico's most-wanted list of drug suspects.

Biography

Rueda started his criminal career by stealing automobiles, then in 2004 he became the cartel's hitmen lieutenant dedicated to track and murder cartel rivals from the Milenio Cartel

Milenio Cartel

The Milenio Cartel, or Cártel de los Valencia, was an organized crime gang originally based in Michoacán, Mexico. The group splintered from the Juárez Cartel in 1999 and it is currently operating as a branch of the powerful La Familia Michoacana, and has relocated to Guadalajara city.Luis Valencia...

. By the mid 2000s, he was in charge of coordinating the cartel's methamphetamine

Methamphetamine

Methamphetamine is a psychostimulant of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class of psychoactive drugs...

 fabrication and smuggling operations.

Arrest

Rueda was arrested on July 11, 2009 by elements of the Mexican Federal Police. Minutes later, a group of more than two dozen gunmen tossed fragmentation grenades and opened fire on the federal police offices where Rueda was being held. A few hours after Rueda's arrest, convoys of heavily armed gunmen ambushed federal forces across the western state of Michoacán. The gunmen tossed hand grenade

Hand grenade

A hand grenade is any small bomb that can be thrown by hand. Hand grenades are classified into three categories, explosive grenades, chemical and gas grenades. Explosive grenades are the most commonly used in modern warfare, and are designed to detonate after impact or after a set amount of time...

s and opened fire on police stations six major Michoacan cities, killing five federal agents and two soldiers, and wounded ten other federal agents. Two days later, on July 13, La Familia gunmen continued the retaliation with an ambush to a police bus, killing 12 federal agents.

Rueda has been convicted of multiple crimes and is being held at Penal del Altiplano

Penal del Altiplano

The Federal Social Readaptation Center No. 1 "Altiplano" is the maximum security federal prison The Federal Social Readaptation Center No. 1 "Altiplano" is the maximum security federal prison The Federal Social Readaptation Center No. 1 "Altiplano" is the maximum security federal prison...

, a maximum security prison.

External links

• Video: Arnoldo Rueda Medina being presented to the press after his arrest.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ewdnv06Df8M