Gulf Cartel Boss Son, Osiel Cardenas Jr., Sentenced to Over 8 Years in Prison

Osiel Cardenas Jr., the son of Gulf Cartel boss Osiel Cardenas Guillen, was sentenced to more than eight years in prison after he pleaded guilty to gun smuggling charges.

According to Yahoo News, U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Texas Fernando Rodriguez Jr. on Thursday sentenced Cardenas to 109 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

The son of the Gulf Cartel boss was also ordered to pay a fine of $20,000. Cardenas, 31, pleaded guilty to gun smuggling charges last August. Undercover federal agents arrested him in the parking lot of a store in Brownsville, Texas, on April 22, 2021.

The son of the Gulf Cartel boss reportedly ordered another person to cross into Mexico to pick up the $15,000 for the weapons and to inform him when the transaction was complete.

According to Border Report, Cardenas and two accomplices attempted to purchase five Bushmaster XM15-E2S rifles and five Zastava M90 rifles at the time.

Cardenas was reportedly indicted with Azhuan Martinez and Jose Roberto Molina-Medrano, who was in the U.S. illegally and previously convicted of illegal reentry.

Cardenas also admitted that he committed the crime while on supervised release for a previous felony. He also faces charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

During Thursday's hearing, the court heard additional evidence that described Cardenas' role as a supervisor/manager, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas said in a press release.

The statement noted that In handing down the sentence, the court said Cardenas "had two firearms related cases in his criminal history and continued to engage in additional criminal activity with the smuggling of weapons, repeatedly engaging in violations involving firearms."

The son of the Gulf Cartel boss apologized to the court during the hearing and asked for mercy.

Osiel Cardenas Jr. Uncle, Gulf Cartel Boss' El Gordo,' Extradited From Mexico to the U.S.

In May last year, the uncle of Osiel Cardenas Jr., Mario Cardenas Guillen, also known as "El Gordo" or "El M-1," was extradited from Mexico to the U.S. also to stand trial in a Texas court.

The former leader of the Gulf Cartel is facing drug trafficking charges in Texas. According to reports, El Gordo was previously responsible for the large-scale importation of cocaine into Houston, Texas.

He previously controlled the Gulf Cartel with Eduardo Costilla, also known as "El Cos," who was arrested in Mexico in 2012 and extradited to the U.S. in 2015.

El Gordo has reportedly run the Gulf Cartel since his brother, former leader Antonio Cardenas Guillen or "Tony Tormenta," was killed in a gunfight with the Mexican government in 2010.

Mario Cardenas Guillen is also the brother of Osiel Cardenas Guillen, a co-leader of the Gulf Cartel who was arrested in 2003 and extradited to the U.S. in 2007.

Osiel Cardenas Guillen was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison and ordered to pay $50 million to the United States. According to reports, El Gordo was initially arrested and convicted on organized crime charges in 1995.

He was imprisoned in Matamoros city, across the U.S.-Mexico border from Brownsville, Texas, where he was caught organizing large shipments of cocaine and marijuana from behind bars.

El Gordo was then reassigned to a prison in Jalisco state and was released in 2007 after he finished his sentence. He reportedly rejoined the Gulf Cartel after his release.

Because of this, the DEA has maintained him on its fugitive list for violations of federal law on conspiracy charges.

El Gordo was arrested a second time in Mexico's state of Tamaulipas in 2012. He was reportedly caught with weapons, ammunition, and four small envelopes containing cocaine.

El Gordo, who was previously incarcerated at the Altiplano maximum-security federal prison in Mexico State, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in April 2021.

The Gulf Cartel

The Gulf Cartel is considered to be one of the oldest and most powerful criminal groups in Mexico. However, the group has lost territory and influence over the years due to its rivals. Its rivals include its former enforcer wing, the Zetas, Insight Crime reported.

During its most powerful term, the drug cartel was led by its kingpin Osiel Cardenas Guillen, who was considered to be the country's most powerful leader. The Gulf Cartel was reportedly pulling in billions in revenues at the time.

Today, alliances with smaller splinter cells have allowed the cartel to retain a significant place in the organized crime world in Mexico.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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