The leader of one of Mexico’s most notorious drug cartels was released after almost 25 years in prison in the U.S.
Osiel Cárdenas Guillén is the former leader of the Gulf Cartel and founder of the Zetas, a deadly group of hitmen tied to several years of brutal killings of migrants and other civilians throughout Mexico. He was extradited to the U.S. in 2007 and sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2010.
U.S. Bureau of Prisons officials told the AP on Friday that Cárdenas Guillén was released and placed in ICE custody. He’s expected to be sent back to Mexico, where he faces additional arrest warrants.
Last month, a Mexican court convicted 11 gunmen connected to a 2011 massacre carried out by the Zetas, in which more than 120 bus passengers en route to the Texas border were killed.
