U.S. Deports Former Gulf Cartel Leader Osiel Cárdenas Guillén to Mexico

Tijuana, Mexico. The United States government deported Osiel Cárdenas Guillén, former leader of the Gulf Cartel and founder of Los Zetas, to Mexican authorities at the border city of Tijuana on Monday, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed.

Cárdenas, who had been serving a 25-year sentence in the United States, was released in August, 21 years after his initial arrest and 17 years following his extradition to the U.S. There, he pleaded guilty to drug trafficking, money laundering, and extorting U.S. federal agents.

“This day, Osiel Cárdenas was transferred under controlled deportation at the Mexico-U.S. border in Tijuana, Baja California. He was subsequently taken to the Altiplano prison in the State of Mexico for organized crime, drug trafficking, and money laundering charges,” a federal Mexican government source reported.

The 57-year-old former cartel leader is accused of orchestrating some of the bloodiest turf wars in Mexico’s history and transforming the drug trade with hyper-violent tactics, including beheadings. Under his leadership, the Gulf Cartel became one of Mexico’s most feared criminal organizations, responsible for smuggling thousands of kilos of cocaine and marijuana into the U.S.

Cárdenas also founded Los Zetas, the cartel’s armed wing composed of former Mexican military special forces.

Samuel Olson, a director at ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in Chicago, stated: “By returning this dangerous individual to Mexico, where he faces serious charges, we’ve taken a significant step to protect our communities and uphold the rule of law.” Olson emphasized the operation’s success as a result of collaboration between law enforcement agencies.

Cárdenas had been held at Terre Haute Penitentiary in Indiana but was transferred to the Otay Mesa Detention Center prior to his deportation. Officials escorted him across the San Diego port of entry, where he was handed over to Mexican authorities without incident.

Nicknamed “El Mata Amigos” (The Friend Killer), Cárdenas was arrested in 2003 in Tamaulipas and extradited to the United States in 2007. In 2010, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison and fined $50 million.

The Gulf Cartel, once a dominant criminal force, has weakened in recent years, splintering into multiple factions. Despite his incarceration, Cárdenas remains a significant figure in Mexico’s violent and turbulent narco-history.