Drug Lord Known as ‘The Friend Killer’ Is Deported to Mexico After 14 Years in U.S. Prisons

Osiel Cárdenas Guillén, the former leader of the Gulf Cartel and founder of Los Zetas, was deported from the United States to Mexico on Monday after serving 14 years of a 25-year prison sentence.

Upon arrival in Mexico, the 57-year-old was immediately re-arrested and sent to the Altiplano maximum-security prison near Mexico City to face multiple charges, including organized crime, drug trafficking, money laundering, and illegal possession of weapons, a Mexican federal official who was not authorized to be quoted told CBS News.

The news were confirmed by the San Antonio division of Homeland Security Investigations on social media with a caption that read:

“After 14 years behind bars in the U.S. Osiel Cárdenas Guillén, a Mex. citizen, and former Leader of the Gulf Cartel & Los Zetas has been returned to Mexico. This is the result of a criminal investigation by #HSI RGV and our law enforcement partners out of the Rio Grande Valley”

After 14 years behind bars in the U.S. Osiel Cárdenas Guillén, a Mex. citizen, and former Leader of the Gulf Cartel & Los Zetas has been returned to Mexico. This is the result of a criminal investigation by #HSI RGV and our law enforcement partners out of the Rio Grande Valley. pic.twitter.com/zX966TcgJT

— HSI San Antonio (@HSI_SanAntonio) December 16, 2024

Cárdenas, known by the nickname “El Mata Amigos” (“The Friend Killer”) had been held in U.S. immigration custody since August following his release from the Terre Haute prison in Indiana.

As head of the Gulf Cartel, he established Los Zetas, a group comprised of former Mexican special forces soldiers that quickly became one of the most violent criminal organizations in Mexico and routinely slaughtered innocent people, CBS News recalled.

Captured in 2003 during a gun battle in Matamoros, Cárdenas was extradited to the United States in 2007. He faced charges of drug trafficking, money laundering, and threatening federal agents. In 2010, he was convicted in a sealed federal court proceeding and sentenced to 25 years in prison, along with a $50 million fine. His cooperation with U.S. authorities during his incarceration remains classified.

Mexican authorities have indicated they are seeking sentences totaling more than 700 years for these offenses.

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