ONE of Europe’s most wanted drug kingpins has been gunned down in Mexico after years of evading arrest.
Marco Ebben, who once even faked his own death to avoid cops, was shot and killed just outside Mexico City this week.
A 32-year-old criminal who was involved in drug trafficking was considered one of the most wanted fugitives by Europol due to his long-standing connection to global drug deals.
In 2020, authorities successfully prosecuted him with a seven-year jail term for his suspected involvement in smuggling 400 kilograms of cocaine concealed in pineapple-filled containers, working with partners in crime.
The offences took place between 2014 and 2015 in a suspected drug trafficking route from Brazil to the Netherlands.
The details around the Dutchman’s death are yet to be confirmed but he is suspected to have been targeted by rival gangsters.
An image allegedly shows the kingpin’s body laying on the ground of a parking lot in an upscale residential complex in Atizapán de Zaragoza.
After he was convicted back in October 2020, he went into hiding and fled Europe, Europol believe.
An international manhunt for Ebben had been ongoing ever since.
Since 2023, he had reportedly been living in Mexico under a fake identity.
Ebben had been suspected of having close ties with notorious drug trafficking ring the Mexican Sinaloa cartel for years, say officials.
In an attempt to escape being jailed, he reportedly faked his death last October in the cartel stronghold of Culiacan.
He was accused of trying to con cops by using the fierce turf war between two factions of the Sinaloa Cartel to stage his hoax demise.
Last month, a drug cartel kingpin was arrested in the UK after agents tracked him down through his wife’s boastful posts about their travels.
Luis Grijalba is wanted in the US on charges of exporting cocaine from Costa Rica.
Despite being 43 years old, this individual has faced two murder attempts in Costa Rica, including a terrifying incident where he sought refuge behind a cherry tree while seven of his associates were fatally shot.