Drug cartels have wreaked havoc across Central America and Mexico, and one of the hardest hit countries is Guatemala. Cartels and gangs control various parts of the country and have claimed many lives. However, the government is fighting back.

Los Zetas is a drug cartel whose territory ranges from the U.S. border all the way to Guatemala, if not further. Originally split from the Gulf Cartel, the gang has violently battled other cartels as well as government forces for control of land and resources.

It was during one of these battles that the Guatemalan government succeeded in arresting Zetas leader Jairo Orellana Morales. According to The Associated Press, Interior Minister Mauricio Lopez Bonilla announced the arrest Friday, saying that Orellana Morales, also known as "El Pelon" or "the Bald One," was arrested Thursday night in the province of Zacapa.

Orellana Morales and seven others were arrested following a gunfight in which a police officer and two others were killed. According to AP, Orellana Morales was flown to Guatemala City were he was shown to the press wearing just trousers. He is wanted in the United States and will probably be extradited.

Under the Kingpin Act, the U.S. froze all of the 40-year-old's assets and prohibited Americans from doing business with him, AP reported. El Pelon is the son-in-law of Waldemar Lorenzana Lima, a rancher accused of drug trafficking who was extradited to the U.S. in March.

According to Reuters, the arrest happened in Orellana Morales' hometown of Dona Maria Gualan, 90 miles east of the capital. Along with the police officer, two of his security guards were killed. The struggle against drug cartels and their leaders has been a long and costly one for the Central American nation, a fact not forgotten by Guatemala's outgoing attorney general.

In an interview with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, Claudia Paz y Paz reminisced on her achievements during her tenure. She tried many war criminals, who caused much pain during Guatemala's long civil war, however, many drug cartel leaders were also arrested during her term.

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