Cesar Gastelum Serrano, a man authorities have described as being a leading cocaine trafficker for Mexico's Sinaloa drug cartel, was arrested on Saturday in the resort city of Cancun.

The capture was made possible by the joint efforts of the Mexican marines and the police.

Mexico's national security commissioner Monte Alejandro Rubido announced the arrest on Sunday.

As reported by The Associated Press, authorities stated the alleged drug trafficker was carrying a pistol as well as 24.7 ounces of cocaine at the time of his arrest.

Rubido spoke about the manner in which Gastelum Serrano had been able to skirt authorities while living in Cancun, saying, "He moved around the area with a low profile, without bodyguards. He did not carry any identification, not even false ones, to avoid detection."

When the U.S. Treasury Department placed Gastelum Serrano on its drug kingpin list in December, it referred to him as "one of the most prolific cocaine suppliers for Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel."

According to the department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, Gastelum Serrano was head of "a vast criminal network to lead a cocaine trafficking organization capable of moving tons of cocaine per week through Honduras and Guatemala to Mexico."

Gastelum Serrano, according to Rubido, operated a family company that specialized in scaffolding.

This position effectively allowed him to transport "multiple tons" of cocaine per week.

Gastelum Serrano operated out of Honduras where he had been tied to the murders of law enforcement officials in the area.

For a time, according to Rubido, Gastelum Serrano was based in San Pedro Sula, which is considered the most violent city in Honduras.

Aside from distributing his drugs in Central America, Gastelum Serrano moved Colombian cocaine through Central America on to markets in the United States.