Head of Gulf Cartel indicted
Mar. 24—The head of the Gulf Cartel responsible for shipping cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl to the United States for six years has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Brownsville.
Jose Alfredo Cardenas-Martinez, 42, who is the nephew of Oziel Cardenas Guillen, is named in a nine-count indictment that states he possessed 50 grams or more of meth, five kilograms of cocaine and 400 grams or more of fentanyl. The indictment was handed down Nov.10, 2021. It was partially unsealed on March 7.
Cardenas Martinez is in custody of Mexican authorities pending litigation on the U.S.'s extradition request.
According to Mexico media reports, Cardenas Martinez was arrested Feb. 27, 2022, in Matamoros, Mexico.
The United States Attorney's Office states Cardenas-Martinez has been head of the Cartel del Golfo since 2015 following the arrest and conviction of Jorge Eduardo Costilla Sanchez aka El Cos. Costilla Sanchez was the cartel's leader following the arrest and conviction of Cardenas-Guillen, who is currently incarcerated at a federal prison.
Costilla Sanchez was also convicted in the Southern District of Texas and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 12.
As head of the CDG, Cardenas-Martinez allegedly coordinated the shipment of narcotics to the United States for illegal sale across the country, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. According to the charges, the conspiracy to transport cocaine, meth and fentanyl into the United States began in 2015 and continued through 2021.
