For weeks, no one came forward to apply for the Nuevo Laredo police chief job in Mexico because many saw it as a death sentence.

The arrest of reputed drug cartel leader Osiel Cardenas – nearly a year after the death of another of Mexico’s notorious drug lords and the arrest of his brother – may mark the end of an era for the drug kingpins who have dominated the country for two decades.

One of Mexico’s most powerful drug lords was captured today after a gun battle with troops in the border city of Matamoros.