This time, Mexican authorities took their prey alive.

Monday's bloodless capture of Edgar Valdez Villarreal, a fair-haired Texan accused of helping run a murderous drug-trafficking gang in Mexico, could yield more breakthroughs by giving Mexican and U.S. authorities a deeper look into the workings of Mexico's drug underworld, analysts said Tuesday in a Los Angeles Times report.

In addition, Valdez's status as an American citizen may ease his possible handover to the United States, where he is wanted on cocaine-smuggling charges, by allowing authorities to skip or shorten the often-lengthy extradition process.

That would give U.S. prosecutors a chance to glean information from Valdez about smuggling operations, money-laundering and the whereabouts of other drug bosses in exchange for the promise of a lighter sentence, if he is convicted.

"He's a businessman and a brilliant businessman, in many ways. He's going to want to cut a deal," said Fred Burton, vice president of intelligence at Stratfor, an Austin, Texas-based global intelligence firm.

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