MEXICO CITY (AP) - In a major development in the fight against drug cartels, the Mexican army has successfully apprehended Nestor Isidro Pérez Salas, the alleged security chief of the hyper-violent Sinaloa cartel. This arrest, which took place on Wednesday, holds significant personal significance for the Mexican army, as Pérez Salas was responsible for ordering an attack on an unguarded apartment complex where soldiers' families resided.

Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval confirmed the details of the attack, which occurred on October 17, 2019. The assault was a retaliatory action by cartel gunmen after a failed attempt to capture Ovidio Guzman, one of the sons of imprisoned drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, who leads the Sinaloa cartel.

The attack targeted the army families' housing complex in Culiacan, Sinaloa's capital, with cartel gunmen unleashing a hail of gunfire. They even took a soldier hostage and entered multiple apartments in search of more potential hostages. Additionally, two hand grenades were thrown into the complex, although they failed to explode.

The army had previously relied on an unwritten rule that soldiers' wives and children were not to be targeted, making this attack a violation of an unspoken agreement. "It was an area that was not even guarded," noted Sandoval.

In a separate incident in January, after finally apprehending Ovidio Guzman, Pérez Salas allegedly played a role in orchestrating violence that resulted in the deaths of 30 people, including 10 military personnel. The army was compelled to use Black Hawk helicopter gunships against the cartel's heavily armed fighters, who possessed truck-mounted .50-caliber machine guns.

Despite an unsuccessful initial attempt to capture Pérez Salas, the Mexican army continued to monitor his movements and eventually caught him on Wednesday. Video footage shared on social media shows Pérez Salas surrounded by authorities before managing to climb onto the roof of a house. However, he was eventually apprehended.

The United States government expressed its gratitude to Mexico for the arrest. President Joe Biden issued a statement praising the operation and emphasizing the commitment between the two countries to combat cartel violence and drug trafficking. U.S. prosecutors are seeking Pérez Salas's extradition to face drug charges in the United States, much like his boss, Ovidio Guzman, who was extradited in September.

Pérez Salas faces charges in the U.S. of conspiracy to import and distribute fentanyl. However, he is also implicated in a series of killings and torture of police officers and civilians. An indictment in the Southern District of New York alleges that Pérez Salas participated in the torture of a Mexican federal agent in 2017, inflicting brutal acts such as inserting a corkscrew into his muscles and placing hot chiles in his wounds.

This arrest marks a significant victory for both Mexico and the United States in their joint efforts to dismantle the Sinaloa cartel and combat drug-related violence.