Mexico nabbed a U.S.-born accused drug kingpin yesterday, and his Houston lawyer now says the man wants out of Mexico fast _ even if it’s straight to a U.S. prison.

Police paraded Edgar Valdez-Villarreal before the media Tuesday morning. In a sign of the fear he once instilled in others, the Laredo, Texas-born detaineer smirked and chuckled at those looking at him. Click here and here for stories I’ve written.

"I do not think anyone is safe in the hands of the Mexican military," Houston defense attorney Kent Schaffer told the Houston Chronicle. "Something is going to happen."

The newspaper said Schaffer thinks the Mexican military might torture his client.

Schaffer said Valdez-Villarreal, a U.S. citizen, knew time was running out before his arrest.

"You die, get caught or spend your life looking over your shoulder," Schaffer told the Chron.

"We thought there was a distinct possibility," he said of Valdez's capture, which he found out about through a Valdez family member. As a result, Schaffer had been hired to look at options in the event Valdez was captured.

He said his client hopes he'll be sent back to the United States.