Osiel Cárdenas, the notorious former leader of Mexico’s Gulf Cartel, was released from a U.S. prison on August 30, 2024, after serving a 25-year sentence for drug trafficking and money laundering. He is now in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Cárdenas had been extradited to the United States in 2007 following his capture in 2003 after a violent standoff.
Cárdenas gained infamy for his ruthless tactics, which included decapitations and kidnappings, and for founding the Zetas, the armed wing of the Gulf Cartel. The Zetas later became one of Mexico’s most feared criminal organizations, known for their extreme violence and significant influence in the drug trade.
As of now, it remains unclear whether Cárdenas will be deported to Mexico, where he still faces charges related to organized crime. According to a source within the Mexican government, Cárdenas is currently being held in a U.S. immigration detention center.
Cárdenas’s release has sparked concerns about the potential for renewed violence in Mexico, given his past control over the Gulf Cartel and the Zetas. Leo Silva, a former U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent, emphasized Cárdenas’s role in escalating violence in Mexico over the last two decades, stating, “He unleashed this mentality of creating fear in the country.”
Cárdenas was sentenced in 2010 after pleading guilty to drug trafficking and other charges.
