Suspected Mexican drug lord Francisco Javier Arellano-Felix."We've taken the head off the snake,"

Francisco Javier Arellano-Felix, 37, was captured by U.S. Coast Guard and Drug Enforcement Administration officials while on board a boat about 24 kilometres off the Mexican coast, said U.S. Deputy Attorney Paul McNulty.U.S. and Mexican authorities allege he heads the Tijuana-based Arellano-Felix organization (AFO), a gang they say is one of the most dangerous and violent in the California-Mexico area. The group is believed to include seven brothers and four sisters from the Arellano family."We've taken the head off the snake," said Michael Braun, chief of operations for the DEA.American DEA officials said they received a tip concerning the boat's location and asked the coast guard to intercept it while in international waters. Eleven people on board the Dock Holiday, including Arellano-Felix, were detained and are being taken to San Diego."This case is the result of extraordinary co-operation between the governments of Mexico and the United States," said McNulty.A suspected Mexican drug lord linked to 20 murders was captured Wednesday off the coast of Mexico's Baja California peninsula, said American officials.