The reputed head of Mexico's most violent and powerful drug cartel has made his first court appearance, two days after Mexican troops captured him in a pre-dawn raid in the city of Puebla. 

Benjamin Arellano Felix, however, refused comment Monday as charges of bribery, drug smuggling and criminal association were read against him at Mexico's high-security La Palma prison. 

Mr. Arellano Felix was wanted in Mexico and the United States on charges he ran the Arellano Felix cartel in the Mexican border town of Tijuana. Authorities say the cartel was responsible for shipping tons of drugs into the United States and that it killed an estimated 300 people in an effort to control the cocaine and marijuana trade along the joint border. 

Mr. Arellano Felix was on the Federal Bureau of Investigation's 10 Most Wanted list. The U.S. Justice Department is expected to seek his extradition for trial in the United States. 

Authorities also say Mr. Arellano Felix has confirmed his brother, Ramon, the other leading figure in the cartel, was killed in a shootout with police last month in Mazatlan. The body has not been recovered. 

The arrest of Benjamin Arellano Felix comes just days before President Bush heads to Mexico for meetings with President Vicente Fox. 

Earlier Monday, Mr. Bush telephoned Mr. Fox to congratulate him on the capture. The State Department says the capture is the most significant arrest ever of a wanted trafficker in Mexico. 

Some information for this report provided by AP.

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