MEXICO CITY, Aug. 31 (UPI) -- Mexican authorities arrested an American accused of being the leader of one of the most powerful drug cartels in the Western hemisphere, officials said.
Edgar Valdez Villarreal, known as "La Barbie" because of his looks, faces numerous charges in Mexico as well as in the United States, where he was indicted for smuggling thousands of pounds of cocaine into the country, the Houston Chronicle reported Tuesday.
Valdez's lawyer, Kent Schaffer of Houston, told the Chronicle Monday he feared his client would be tortured before he could be returned to the United States for trial.
"I do not think anyone is safe in the hands of the Mexican military," Schaffer said.
Valdez was indicted in Atlanta earlier this year on federal charges he imported and distributed cocaine from 2004 to 2006. Federal prosecutors said the drugs were smuggled into the United States through Texas then routed to Atlanta, a hub for cartel activity. Millions of dollars in drug money were sent to Mexico in a similar fashion. UPI
