MEXICO CITY, Nov 17 — Authorities in Mexico have arrested the wife of a powerful drug-trafficking cartel boss, the country’s defence ministry said on Tuesday.

The ministry described Monday’s capture of Rosalinda Gonzalez, wife of Jalisco New Generation leader Nemesio Oseguera, as "a signficant blow to the financial structure of the criminal organization in Jalisco state.”

Oseguera is one of the people most wanted by both Mexico and the United States.

Gonzalez, who was captured in the central Jalisco state, is believed to be the financial operator of the cartel, one of the most powerful and violent in Mexico.

She was previously captured in May 2018 and accused of money laundering but was freed this September after posting bail.

Now she is accused of several crimes including "the illicit financial operation of an organised criminal group,” the ministry said.

The arrest comes two days before Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador meets his US counterpart Joe Biden and Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Washington — the first such trilateral North American Leaders’ Summit in five years.

Lopez Obrador and Biden are due a bilateral meeting too in which security and drug-trafficking are on the agenda.

The Jalisco New Generation cartel is known for launching brazen attacks against authorities.

In May 2015, the cartel shot down a military helicopter with a rocket launcher, killing eight soldiers and a police officer. — AFP