Whack-a-mole: Mexican official: Top cartel leader could be casualty in clashes

This editor lives in Michoacán, west of Morelia, the state capital, so needless to say, we are following these events closely. Apatzingán is a hundred or so kilometers further to the south-west, in an isolated area in the mountains of the 'tierra caliente,' the hot country near the Pacific coast. It is near the main highway from the port of Lázaro Cárdenas, one of the primary entry points for methamphetamine ingredients and cocaine into Mexico, on their way - via La Familia - to the U.S.. 

Mexican official: Top cartel leader could be casualty in clashes - CNN.com: "Fighting between federal authorities and suspected members of Mexico's La Familia cartel began Wednesday in the central Mexican state of Michoacan, national security spokesman Alejandro Poire told reporters late Thursday. A day later, an operation to find those responsible continued, he said.
Poire said unconfirmed preliminary reports indicate that the cartel 'has sustained significant losses, including possibly the death of one of those leaders.'

Gunfire from high-powered weapons greeted police when the operation began Wednesday in the municipality of Apatzingan, Michoacan, Poire said. From there, the violence escalated." Dec. 10, 2010