Arellano Felix was found with an 11-year-old girl believed to be his daughter [AFP]

Eduardo Arellano Felix, 52, faces indictment in the US for drug smuggling and is suspected of being a senior member of the Arellano Felix trafficking cartel that dominated the drug trade into the US state of California throughout the 1990s.

The US had offered a $5m reward for his capture and he was also sought by Interpol.

Arellano Felix, also known as "The Doctor", is believed to be the number two in the cartel, known to be one of Mexico's most ruthless, after taking control in 2006 along with his nephew Luis Fernando Sanchez Arellano.

He moved up after the arrest of his brother, Francisco Javier Arellano Felix, according to Facundo Rosas, the deputy secretary of Mexico's police intelligence.

Gun battle

Arellano Felix was located in a house in the border area of Tijuana, and fired on federal agents after being encircled, police said.

A three-hour gun battle with more than 100 police and soldiers ensued before his arrest.

He was found with a girl, aged 11, believed to be his daughter, police said.

His drug cartel, also known as the Tijuana cartel, is allegedly one of the four large drug mafias operating in Mexico and is blamed by the US justice department for importing and distributing hundreds of tonnes of cocaine and marijuana in the US.

It has also been blamed for the murder and torture of police officers, informants and rivals.

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