Ex-Gulf Cartel Boss Deported: What It Means for US-Mexico Relations
Osiel Cárdenas Guillén, the former leader of Mexico’s Gulf Cartel, has been deported from the United States to Mexico after serving over two decades in U.S. prisons.
Known for his extreme violence, including the formation of the notorious Los Zetas as the cartel’s armed wing, Cárdenas was handed over to Mexican authorities at the San Diego Port of Entry.
Upon arrival, he was immediately re-arrested and is now detained at the maximum-security Altiplano prison, facing charges of organized crime, drug trafficking, and money laundering in Mexico.
Cárdenas, 57, was captured in 2003 in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, and extradited to the U.S. in 2007, where he pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including drug trafficking and threatening U.S. federal agents.
He was sentenced to 25 years in prison but was released early in August 2024 for good behavior.
His deportation marks a significant development in the ongoing efforts to address organized crime and drug trafficking between the United States and Mexico.