Who Is 'La Barbie' Edgar Valdez Villarreal?

(CANVAS STAFF REPORTS) - Before his recent arrest, Edgar Valdez Villarreal, nicknamed "La Barbie," left behind a stable Texas family and allegedly became one of Mexico's most feared drug leaders.

Authorities in the United States and Mexico say that the former high school football player moved to Mexico after being indicted in the 1990s on charges of dealing marijuana.

They believe Villarreal, now 37, went on to become a violent leader in the Beltrán-Leyva gang, which is known for ongoing battles with other cartels, reported The New York Times .

Valdez Villarreal has been indicted in U.S. district court on charges he distributed thousands of pounds of cocaine. The Times reported that he is the only American citizen known to have gained that high of a position within the Mexican cartels.

The quality of his upbringing ’ an emphasis on church and college from a hard-working father ’ clicked with Valdez Villarreal's siblings. Most of them heeded their father's guidance by attending college and starting businesses.

Abel Valdez Jr. said his younger brother, whom siblings nicknamed "Barbie" as a child because of his good looks, simply chose another path. The name stuck as a drug lord, with Valdez Villarreal becoming known as "La Barbie."

"He chose that road," said Abel Valdez Jr. "We are a good family."

Valdez Villarreal had been battling for control in the Beltran Leyva cartel. The organization lost its former boss, Arturo Beltran Leyva, in December 2009, NPR reported.

He was even the subject of one of the genre of songs in Mexico called narco-corridos that celebrate drug kingpins. The song's lyrics described his good looks and business acumen, according to NPR .

With multi-million-dollar bounties on his head, Valdez Villarreal was captured by dozens of federal police officers after a gunfight at a house in the mountains northwest of Mexico City last week.

Law officers consider his arrest a major blow to the remnants of Beltrán-Leyva.