Mexican authorities say the alleged leader of a gang of drug hit men has been arrested in Ciudad Juarez.

The suspect, Jose Antonio Acosta Hernandez, was captured in the state capital, Chihuahua, on Friday.

Hernandez, also known as “El Diego,” had been sought by U.S. authorities for last year's killings of a U.S. consulate employee, her husband and a third American in Ciudad Juarez, which borders El Paso, Texas.

He has also been linked to a car bombing that killed four people last year in Ciudad Juarez, a city plagued by drug-related violence.

Mexican authorities say at least 40,000 people have died since President Felipe Calderon's army began cracking down on drug cartels in 2006.