Wednesday, December 25

Judge sentences drug lord Osiel Cárdenas to prison for drug trafficking after deportation to Mexico

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By The Opinion

Dec 24, 2024, 00:39 AM EST

The Attorney General’s Office (FGR) in Mexico reported that Osiel Cárdenas Guillén, former leader of the Gulf Cartel and founder of Los Zetas, was linked to proceedings for crimes against health, after being extradited by the United States.

The resolution marks the first trial in a series of accusations against him in Mexico, after his deportation from the United States on December 16.

After the evidence provided by the agent of the Federal Public Ministry, the Fourth District Court in Criminal Matters with residence in Toluca, issued an order of formal imprisonment against this person, in the Federal Social Reintegration Center number 1 “Altiplano”, in Almoloya de Juárez.

With this decision, the Mexican kingpin, also called “El Mata Amigos,” will remain in the Altiplano maximum security prison, while facing multiple charges related to international drug trafficking and criminal alliances.

According to the FGR, Cárdenas Guillén is accused of directing operations of the Gulf Cartel and coordinate drug trafficking activities through strategic ports such as Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán, as well as Guerrero and Tamaulipas.

The drug trafficker, who pleaded not guilty in his preparatory statement, also has another pending judicial resolution in Jalisco, where he could be prosecuted for the murder of six people, including relatives of a key protected witness.

Cárdenas Guillén was arrested in 2003 and extradited to the United States in 2007.where he served a 25-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to various crimes.

Last week, Mexican authorities reported that he still faces two arrest warrants and seven criminal proceedings on charges that include money laundering, homicide, bribery and possession of weapons for the exclusive use of the Army.

If found guilty of all the crimes charged against him, he could face a cumulative sentence of more than 700 years in prison.

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