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The notorious former head of the Gulf Cartel in Matamoros and founder of its armed wing, Los Zetas, which later split and caused a rift resulting in years of bloody fighting in Tamaulipas, has been released from federal prison.
The Bureau of Prisons confirmed to MyRGV.com that Osiel Cardenas-Guillen was released from the Terre Haute penitentiary in Indiana.
“For privacy reasons, the FBOP does not provide additional information on individuals who are no longer in our custody,” the BOP said.
In 2010, Cardenas-Guillen was sentenced to 25 years in prison for drug trafficking, for threatening federal officials and their family members and for money laundering.
The former capo created Los Zetas as the Gulf Cartel’s armed wing.
But Los Zetas later split, prompting years of fighting between the factions that came to a head in 2012 when that group’s leader — Heriberto Lazcano — was killed.
In the years between Cardenas-Guillen’s arrests and Lazcano’s death, there were numerous cases of fighting in broad daylight in Matamoros and Reynosa and in between.
The state of Tamaulipas also said thousands of people disappeared, and there were massacres of migrants and public displays of the bodies of people killed by cartel factions.
There were also numerous instances of other cartel leaders crossing into the U.S. to escape their rivals, choosing to face prosecution and lengthy prison terms here rather than death in Mexico.
It’s not immediately clear where Cardenas-Guillen is. He is not a U.S. citizen and will likely face deportation proceedings.
