Zetas Drug Cartel Leader Killed: Mexico Navy Reports Heriberto Lazcano was Shot Dead [DETAILS]

Mexico's navy released a statement on Monday reporting that the infamous Zetas drug cartel leader, Heriberto Lazcano (better known as El Lazca), has been killed. The death has yet to be confirmed, but supposedly Lazcano was left dead after a firefight broke out between marines and the Zetas in the northern border state of Coahuila on Sunday. The death of Lazcano - one of the leaders and founders of the world's largest and bloodiest drug cartels - would be a huge victory for Mexican law enforcement.

The Mexico navy claimed that there were "strong indications" that one of the two men killed during the gunfight was Lazcano, including matching DNA fingerprints. Still, more forensics tests would be conducted to confirm the identification.

The navy's statement reads: "Information was obtained after the first forensics tests were carried out that yielded indications that suggest that one of the bodies is Heriberto Lazcano. The Navy Department is coordinating efforts with Coahuila state, and will be awaiting the conclusions of the forensics examination in the case."

Under Lazcano's leadership, the Zetas cartel carried out some of Mexico's bloodiest massacres.

Besides "El Lazca" (Z-3), Lazcano is known by a number of other names, including "El Verdugo" (the Executioner). He was infamous in the Zetas for his brutality and is suspected of being involved in the killings of hundreds of individuals. Lazcano was connected to the 2004 slaying of Francisco Ortiz Franco, a top editor of a crusading weekly newspaper in Tijuana that often reported on drug trafficking. The United States currently offers a $5 million reward and Mexico has offered an additional $2.3 million for information leading to Lazcano's arrest.

According to Mexico's navy, it received complaints about armed men around the area of Coahuila on Sunday and sent out a patrol to check out the reports. One marine who responded to the call was wounded when enemy gunmen tossed grenades at the approaching patrol from a moving vehicle. A shootout quickly ensued, killing two of the gunmen (one thought to be Lazcano).

As a Zetas top leader, Lazcano recruited more hit men and hired "kaibiles," Guatemalan soldiers trained in counterinsurgency. The enhanced cartel gang quickly fought for more control of the drug business on the Gulf of Mexico, resulting in a huge surge of drug-related killings.

Even if reports of Lazcano's s death prove factual, the Zetas would be continued to run by leader Miguel Angel Trevino Morales, a man said to be even more brutal than Lazcano.