Mexican federal police have captured an alleged drug kingpin who faces trafficking charges in the U.S. and has been blamed for a vicious turf war that has included bodies hung from bridges and shootouts in central Mexico.

Edgar Valdez Villarreal, shown in this undated police photo, was captured Monday by Mexican police. (U.S. Attorney's Office/Associated Press)The arrest of Edgar Valdez Villarreal, known as "the Barbie," followed a yearlong intelligence operation, the Public Safety Department stated. It said Valdez was captured Monday in the state of Mexico, which borders the capital Mexico City, but did not offer any details.

Valdez — the third major drug lord brought down by Mexico's security forces in less than a year — was charged in May in Atlanta with distributing thousands of pounds of cocaine from Mexico to the eastern U.S. from 2004 to 2006. American authorities had posted a reward of up to $2 million for information leading to his capture, and the Mexican government offered a similar amount.

Mexican authorities have said the Texas-born Valdez was battling for control of the Beltran Leyva cartel since its leader, Arturo Beltran Leyva, was killed in a December shootout with marines in Cuernavaca, just south of Mexico City.

The fight between Valdez and Leyva's brother, Hector Beltran Leyva, had made a battleground of what was once a relatively peaceful region of Mexico and extended the drug war westward toward the resort city of Acapulco.