Guadalajara Cartel Founder Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo Still Behind Bars Despite Judge Granting Him House Arrest Months Ago

By BERT HOOVER First Posted: Nov 24, 2022 08:14 AM EST

Guadalajara Cartel founder Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo is still languishing in prison, even after being granted house arrest months ago.

According to court documents, Felix Gallardo remained behind bars because the company in charge of his electronic bracelet ended the lease for the provision in monitoring and alerting services. Infobae reported that the Guadalajara Cartel founder will have to wait for a new bracelet before he can leave jail and enjoy house arrest.

A federal judge in Mexico's Jalisco state reportedly postponed Felix Gallardo's house arrest until the problems with his electronic ankle bracelet have been addressed. The Guadalajara Cartel founder is currently detained at Puente Grande prison in Jalisco.

Repeated Suspensions of Guadalajara Cartel founder Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo's House Arrest Transfer

Before the judge suspended his transfer to his private home on September 23, Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo was initially scheduled to get out from Puente Grande prison and be transferred to his house in the Ciudad del Sol neighborhood last September 15.

However, it was deferred after the National Guard said they could not do it due to a lack of personnel. One of Felix Gallardo's lawyers, Teresa Vallejo Perez, earlier accused Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection Rosa Icela Rodriguez of meddling in the process and ordering the transfer of Felix Gallardo to his home to be suspended.

Vallejo Perez noted that she will hold the secretary and "all of Mexico" responsible if her client dies. The lawyer said the secretary intends to build an image that his client was an evil man who will be sacrificed for political gains.

Vallejo Perez further noted that the National Guard agents had already told her there was no danger to the public or possibilities of escape and had sufficient personnel to transfer the Guadalajara Cartel founder to his home.

She said the agents had checked Felix Gallardo's ankle monitor and verified that it worked correctly. The Mexican drug lord must wear an electronic ankle monitor for authorities to know where he is.

Felix Gallardo's hearing was canceled for the third time on October 17. Vallejo Perez reportedly declined to provide details at that time.

Guadalajara Cartel Founder Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo Granted House Arrest

The court allowed Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo to continue his sentence from home as his health deteriorated last September. Infobae reported that he had been diagnosed with at least 22 health problems, including pneumonia, tuberculosis and diabetes.

The Guadalajara Cartel founder is currently blind in one eye and deaf in one ear and often needs an oxygen tank in order to breathe. However, the Attorney General's Office (FGR) challenged the order issued by the judge. The FGR argued that the judge had only ruled on his 40-year sentence and not his separate 37-year sentence.

The Guadalajara Cartel founder is currently serving two prison sentences that add up to his 76-year-old age. Felix Gallardo was arrested in April 1989 for the kidnapping and killing of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena Salazar.

In the same year, a court sentenced him to 40 years in prison for crimes that included stockpiling weapons, drug trafficking, murder, bribery, and money laundering. However, after serving 28 years, a 2017 retrial sentenced him to an additional 37 years for the death of Camarena.

In granting him house arrest, the judge said the Mexican drug kingpin could serve the remaining three years of his sentence for drug trafficking and possession of weapons in a private home due to his advanced age and health problems. And after he completed it, the judge noted that he could begin serving his sentence for the murder of Camarena.

Last month, Felix Gallardo decried the alleged "psychological torture" he had recently endured because his release from prison did not materialize. His lawyers said the refusal to transfer their client to his home despite a judge granting him house arrest was part of the "psychological torture" their client was being subjected to in the past days.

Felix Gallardo, also known for his aliases "El Jefe de Jefes"(The Boss of Bosses) and "El Padrino" (The Godfather), once worked with Rafael Caro Quintero, another Guadalajara Cartel co-founder.

Felix Gallardo also oversaw lieutenants like young Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera, who later became the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel. He was also known to work with Amado Carrillo Fuentes for the fleet of airplanes used to move drugs for his Juarez cartel.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

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