MEXICO CITY (AP) – A man believed to be the leader of Mexico’s top drug cartel was arrested in a shopping mall and police were checking his DNA and fingerprints to confirm his identity, the president’s spokesman said Monday.

If confirmed, the detention of Vicente Carrillo Fuentes would be a major blow to the Juarez cartel, the only drug gang that hasn’t had a top leader arrested amid a nationwide crackdown.

Drug leaders often use false names and change their appearance to avoid capture. Carrillo Fuentes’ brother, Amado, led the cartel until 1997, when he was believed to have died.

As rival organizations – including the Gulf cartel and the Arellano Felix gang – lost their leaders to government operations, the Juarez cartel flourished and has been waging a bloody battle for control of drug routes all along the U.S. border.

The Juarez-based gang’s power became legendary in the 1980s and 90s under Amado Carrillo when it flew planeloads of cocaine into the United States.

In recent months, the Juarez cartel’s battle to control the few spots out of its reach along the U.S.-Mexico border – mainly the city of Tijuana to the west and the stretch of border between Nuevo Laredo and Matamoros to the east – has left scores dead and prompted U.S. officials to warn tourists about traveling to Mexico’s northern border area.