Crime and Violence

Federal Police capture former leader of Arellano Felix Organization

Photo: U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.
Photo: Drug Enforcement Agency.

10/26/13 — Another blow to the Arellano Felix Organization (AFO), also known as the Tijuana Cartel, came on October 19 when Federal Police (Policía Federal, PF) arrested Manuel Aguirre Galindo, “El Caballo,” in Mexico City. He was transferred to a federal holding center in the bordering State of Mexico (Estado de México, Edomex) where he will be brought before the Primary District Court of Federal Criminal Procedure (Juzgado 1ro. de Distrito en materia de Procesos Penales Federales). His arrest came just one day after Francisco Rafael Arellano Felix, the eldest of the nine Arellano Felix siblings, was killed at a child’s birthday party in Cabo.

Aguirre (70) was one of the former leaders of the AFO, an organization that saw its peak in the 1980s and 1990s. He served as the cartel’s chief financial advisor, and as the main liaison with Colombia in transporting drugs north. As John Kirby, a former federal prosecutor in San Diego, explained, “[Aguirre] had been moving drugs into the United States for decades, even before the Arellanos were anybody. He was the guy Colombians knew and trusted.” In 2003, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) posted a $2 million (USD) reward for information leading to Aguirre’s whereabouts after he was identified, according to the UT San Diego, as one of 12 individuals named in two indictments unsealed in California’s Southern District. Aguirre is facing charges of crimes against health, involvement in organized crime, and money laundering, among others, as well as extradition to the United States.

Although Aguirre was arrested on Saturday, October 18, federal officials did not confirm his capture until Friday, October 25, almost a week after. With Aguirre in custody, only one of the so-called ‘old guards’ (‘vieja guardia’) of the Arellano Felix Organization remains: Edgardo Leyva Escandón.

Sources:

“Francisco Rafael Arellano Felix killed in Cabo.” Justice in Mexico. October 19, 2013.

Castillo, Gustavo. “Cae ‘El Caballo’, fundador y operador financiero del cartel de los Arellano Félix.” La Jornada. October 24, 2013.

Dibble, Sandra. “Former Arellano leader arrested in Mexico.” UT San Diego. October 24, 2013.

AFN. “Confirmada la detención de ‘El Caballo’ (09:17h).” Agencia Digital de Noticias Sureste. October 25, 2013.

Cordero, Manuel. “Capturan a ‘El Caballo’, del ‘Cártel de Tijuana.’” El Sol de Tijuana and OEM. October 25, 2013.

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