How a Lone, Violence-Weary Snitch Felled Mexico Boss

In the wake of the capture of a major Mexican crime boss last week, the Los Angeles Times has the untold story of a similar bust three years ago—when savage drug kingpin Teodoro "El Teo" Garcia Simental was brought down by an insider who was just tired of the violence. The informant met with DEA agents in Mexico City, far from Garcia's home turf in Tijuana. Yes, he wanted to be paid for his information—but he also wanted to help "clean up my country," he told agents as he handed over Garcia's phone number.

Agents were quickly able to nab Garcia in a predawn raid that caught him off guard, wearing his "tighty whities," according to one agent, as balloons from his daughter's birthday party the day prior still floated around the Cabo San Lucas residence. "There were 100 guys preparing for the worst and, turns out, it was just a guy in his underwear," another agent recalled. Garcia's arrest soon slashed the once-overwhelming violence in Baja California, returning it to its former status as a tourist destination, though the Sinaloa drug cartel is believed to now have a hold there. As for the informant, "He's still alive, living happily, in that general area," says an agent. (More Teodoro Garcia Simental stories.)