The Mexican navy claims to have killed the top los Zetas drug cartel leader Heriberto Lazcano along with two other gang members in a shootout 80 miles from the Texan border in Mexico.

Lazcano, alias "The Executioner", is a founder of the notorious gang which has been implicated in a string of mass killings and kidnappings.Lazcano's death follows longstanding rivalry with his deputy Miguel Trevino alias "Z-40," which exploded into violence in recent weeks.

The navy also captured another top lieutenant of the Zetas drug cartel, Salvador Alfonso Martinez Escobedo this week , seen here smiling who was an accomplice of Miguel Trevino.

Escobedo is believed to be responsible for the murder of 72 foreign migrant workers in August 2010 and American David Hartley on Falcon Lake in 2010.

The Zeta gang are famous for extreme violence, and control whole swathes of north-eastern Mexico. The navy said it was still awaiting final forensic results, but that the body appeared to be "El Lazca".

Written and presented by Ann Salter