United States asked for extradition on drug charges to Jose Alfredo Cardenasarrested in Mexico in February identified as one of the regional leaders of the Gulf Cartelannounced Thursday the US attorney’s office.
“Cardenas, also known as ‘Counter‘, has been indicted in the Southern District of Texas on various charges related to his position as head of the drug trafficking of the Cardenas familyknown as Gulf Cartel“, announced the federal prosecutor Jennifer Lowery, in a statement.
The Justice Department He said a federal grand jury in Brownsville, Texas, handed down the nine-count indictment against Cárdenas last November 10, and that a response to the extradition request is now awaited.
Cárdenas, 42, is accused of leading since 2015 the Gulf Cartel (CDG), which is based in Matamoros, in the state of Tamaulipas.
According to court documents, Cárdenas became the head of the group after the arrest and conviction of George Edward Costillaaliases “the cosIn turn, Costilla, already convicted in the Southern District of Texas and awaiting sentencing, had headed the CDG after the arrest of Cárdenas’s uncle, Oziel Cardenas Guillenimprisoned in United States.
Cárdenas is accused of international conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl to the United States for illegal sale throughout the country between 2015 and 2021.
If convicted, he faces life in prison and a possible $10 million fine.
Mexico reported on February 27 the capture of Cárdenas, the third after being arrested and released in 2018 and 2019.
The US Drug Enforcement Agency DEA said Thursday that Cardenas’ arrest represents a “hard blow” to the CDG.
Tamaulipas, bordering with United Statesis one of the regions most affected by the violence linked to organized crimewhere clashes between criminal groups for territorial control for drug and migrant trafficking are common.
In Mexico, Cárdenas is not only accused of drug trafficking but is also linked to the massacre of Reynosawhich occurred on June 19, 2021 when gunmen traveling in several vehicles indiscriminately shot at 15 people they found on their way in different neighborhoods of that Mexican city.