Key drug cartel figures admit murders
Two top bosses of the notorious Arellano Felix drug cartel have pleaded guilty to smuggling tons of drugs into the U.S. and murdering and torturing rivals of the Tijuana-based criminal organization.
The defendants, brothers Ismael and Gilberto Higuera Guerrero, are the highest-ranking members of the cartel to be convicted in a U.S. court and are expected to testify against Francisco Javier Arellano Felix, who allegedly took control of the organization in recent years.
The Higuera Guerrero brothers were key lieutenants during the peak years of the cartel in the 1990s, when it was responsible for importing the majority of the drugs into the U.S. They pleaded guilty to racketeering charges.
Federal prosecutors will recommend that Ismael receive 40 years in prison and that Gilberto be given 30 years. The brothers also agreed to forfeit $6 million, according to the agreement.
Ismael, 46, and Gilberto, 39, coordinated the transportation of many tons of cocaine from Colombia into Mexico via commercial airlines, private planes, cargo shipments and trucks, according to the plea agreement announced Friday.
The drugs were smuggled into the U.S. in car trunks and hidden vehicle compartments and on small boats. Ismael, who ran the day-to-day operations, regularly bribed government and law enforcement officials in Mexico, the documents said.
Both brothers also admitted to being enforcers for the cartel. They pleaded guilty to kidnapping, torturing and murdering rivals and uncooperative government and law enforcement officials.
The Mexican government extradited the brothers to the U.S. earlier this year as part of Mexican President Felipe Calderon’s wide-ranging offensive against drug cartel figures.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
