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Infamous Drug Trafficker Sentenced

Edgar Valdez was nicknamed La Barbie, the Barbie doll, and was known for his rugged good looks, green eyes and slick wardrobe. The former Laredo, Texas high school linebacker was also known as a savage leader of some of Mexico’s most brutal drug gangs, terrorizing entire cities along the U.S.-Mexico border, including in neighboring Sonora.

Valdez was sentenced Monday in an Atlanta courtroom to 49 years in prison. He will be forced to give up nearly $200 million in drug proceeds he once claimed he earned from trafficking routes that stretched from Panama to the U.S.

Fronteras Desk senior editor Michel Marizco is an award-winning investigative reporter based in Flagstaff.