Drug Cartel Leader Osiel Cardenas, Notorious for Brutality, Deported to Mexico

MEXICO CITY—On Monday, the U.S. government deported drug kingpin Osiel Cardenas, handing over the notorious former Gulf Cartel leader, known for his extreme violence, to Mexican authorities at the Tijuana border.

At 57, Cardenas was released in August after serving over 20 years in high-security prisons in the United States, and has since been detained by U.S. immigration officials.

According to a statement from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Cardenas was “transferred to Mexican law enforcement without incident” after crossing the San Diego, California, entry point into Tijuana.

“The successful deportation of Osiel Cardenas, an infamous international fugitive, highlights our steadfast commitment to public safety and justice,” stated Samuel Olson, head of ICE’s enforcement and removal office in Chicago, which oversaw the deportation process.

Before his capture during a 2003 gunfight, Cardenas was at the helm of some of the most brutal gang violence in Mexico’s history, notorious for transforming drug trafficking by utilizing gruesome tactics, including beheadings.

The Gulf Cartel, one of Mexico’s oldest criminal organizations with illegal operations spanning nearly a century, has recently been overshadowed by the more powerful Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels.

Cardenas was also responsible for founding what later became the Zetas Cartel, an armed faction of the Gulf Cartel composed of ex-special forces, infamous for their brutal methods.

The Zetas eventually separated and, for a period, became the deadliest criminal organization in the country.

This group was instrumental in broadening their illegal activities beyond drug trafficking to include extortion against residents and businesses within their territories. The Zetas disseminated fear through extensive kidnapping operations for ransom.