About two hundred Mexican sailors got into a two hour gun battle with cartel gunmen south of Mexico City. When the fighting ended, five cartel members were dead including Leyva.
His cartel has been involved in a bloody drug turf war that's claimed more than ten thousand lives in recent years.
One of the more notorious incidents happened during the summer in Acapulco. Eighteen people died in a shootout between members of Leyva's cartel and Mexican Police. The violence sent tourists running for their lives.
Leyva's death is considered a huge victory in the Mexican government's war on drugs.
