A Mexican Navy member stands guard during an operation in Mexico City, capital of Mexico, on July 20, 2017. Eight alleged members of a drug cartel were killed on Thursday in a firefight with army troops in the east of Mexico City, including their suspected leader, Felipe de Jesus Peru Luna, the government announced. Mexico's Secretariat of the Navy and Army issued a statement, saying that the clash happened in the neighborhood of Tlahuac, after the suspects attacked federal police officers. (Xinhua/Francisco Canedo)
MEXICO CITY, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Eight alleged members of a drug cartel were killed on Thursday in a firefight with army troops in the east of Mexico City, including their suspected leader, Felipe de Jesus Peru Luna, the government announced.
Mexico's Secretariat of the Navy and Army issued a statement, saying that the clash happened in the neighborhood of Tlahuac, after the suspects attacked federal police officers.
Felipe De Jesus Perez, alias "El Ojos", thought to have been in charge of drug trafficking in the east of the State of Mexico was among the dead.
The statement said the troops arrived on the site after intelligence services detected the presence of members of the cartel, which operates in the Mexico City areas of Tlahuac, Milpa Alta, Xochimilco and Iztapalapa, as well as to the east and south of the capital.
The group is also thought to have carried out murders, kidnappings and extortion in the city.
Mexican media reported that Perez Luna was linked to around 50 executions, including a senior commander of security forces in the State of Mexico, Felipe Carmona, who was killed in February 2016.
