Federal immigration authorities removed a reputed drug kingpin back to Mexico after spending years in maximum security prisons in the United States.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents deported Mexican national Osiel Cardenas Guillen back to his home country on Monday, the agency confirmed in a press release. Cardenas, who previously led the Gulf Cartel and its notorious offshoot, Los Zetas, was handed back to Mexican authorities, who want him on homicide and other cartel-related charges.
“The successful removal of Osiel Cardenas, a notorious international fugitive, underscores our unwavering commitment to public safety and justice,” Enforcement and Removal Operations Chicago Field Office Director Samuel Olson said in a prepared statement. “By returning this dangerous individual to Mexico, where he faces serious charges, we have taken a significant step in safeguarding our communities and upholding the rule of law.”
The violent drug lord — who had clashed with Mexican and U.S. authorities since the 1990s — was originally apprehended amid a shootout with the Mexican military and transferred to U.S. custody.
Cardenas, also known as “El Loco,” took control of the Gulf Cartel in 1997 after the group’s former leader was sentenced to life in prison by a U.S. federal judge, according to The Washington Post. The crime syndicate at the time was one of the main drug-smuggling organizations in Mexico, controlling large flows of cocaine, heroin and marijuana into the U.S.
The drug lord was ultimately captured in 2003 amid a violent Mexican military raid on several homes in Matamoros, an incident which left two soldiers critically wounded. Cardenas’ men had opened fire and also threw a hand grenade at the soldiers before he was finally apprehended.
The cartel kingpin is credited for transforming the drug trafficking industry by engaging in incredibly violent tactics, including decapitations, and presided over some of Mexico’s most violent gang wars, according to Reuters. He was eventually transferred into U.S. custody where he was handed a 25-year prison sentence for his criminal activity.
Cardenas’ deportation comes as President-elect Donald Trump is set to return to office in January. The Republican leader, along with the individuals slated to head his hardline immigration agenda, are calling for U.S. authorities to change the way in which Mexican drug cartels are handled. Namely, the incoming administration would like to designate cartels as foreign terrorist organizations (FTO).
“The drug cartels are waging war on America — and it’s now time for America to wage war on the cartels,” then-candidate Trump stated in December 2023, and declared that his plan to fight the cartels included designating them as FTOs.
Trump’s allies in Congress have already introduced legislation doing just that, arguing that something needs to be done to stem the violence emanating south of the border.
“What we need to do is make sure that legally we are approaching cartels as the dangerous organizations that they are, and I think an FTO designation is appropriate,” Texas Rep. Chip Roy stated to the Daily Caller News Foundation in November, adding that a different designation is welcome, as long as it allows U.S. authorities to wield all the tools at their disposal. “We need to explore every action necessary to stop them.”
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