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Fugitive Mexican drug cartel lieutenant arrested in Nebraska

SEWARD, Neb. – Authorities say a fugitive lieutenant in an infamous Mexican drug cartel has been arrested in eastern Nebraska.

The Seward County sheriff’s office says 39-year-old Jesus Ramon Buena-Peregina had been on the run from U.S. authorities for four years. He was arrested Wednesday during a traffic stop on Interstate 80 near Seward, about 70 miles southwest of Omaha.

Buena-Peregina, a lieutenant in the Sinaloa drug cartel, had been wanted on felony drug charges. Authorities say he returned to the country after being deported to Mexico and was trafficking cocaine.

Deputies say they found a fake passport and IDs on Buena-Peregrina. They took him and his driver, 27-year-old Vanessa E. Lopez-Pena, into custody, then notified federal authorities.

Online court records don’t list attorneys to speak on behalf of Buena-Peregina or Lopez-Pena.

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