Mexican Violence May Escalate After Accused Drug Leader Killed

Mexican marines killed an alleged drug cartel leader known as “Tony the Storm,” a move that may cause violence to intensify in northeastern Mexico as drug gangs fight over shipping routes to the U.S.

Antonio Ezequiel Cardenas Guillen, 48, was killed during a two-hour gunfight yesterday in Matamoros’s city center, according to a Mexican Navy statement. The navy, which sent 660 marines to the scene, said the shooting began when they went to arrest Cardenas. Four other alleged drug traffickers and three soldiers died in the battle, the Navy reported.