How 'La Barbie' became the top-ranking leader of a Mexican drug cartel

Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat republished from LMT online 

Valdez' home,  teen years in Laredo

Mexican drug cartel leader Edgar Valdez Villarreal, otherwise known as "La Barbie," was sentenced in Atlanta on Monday to serve nearly five decades in prison for his violent drug-related crimes.

During Valdez's reign in Mexico, the cartel leader left a track of dismembered and decapitated bodies in the streets, hanged corpses from bridges and other crimes. But for this native Laredoan, Villarreal's upbringing was far from violent - on the contrary, it was described as homely.

Carla Valdez, a prosecutor in Texas and one of Valdez's six sisters, told U.S. District Judge William Duffey on Monday that she and her siblings were raised by humble, hardworking parents who taught them strong values and morals.

 Valdez, whom Duffey described as a "seriously evil criminal," was once just an average Texas teenager, who played football at United High School. As the Longhorn's linebacker, prosecutors said it was during this time that Valdez began selling marijuana.

But things escalated as Valdez became involved with the Beltran Leyva cartel, whose leaders were associated with Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman and the Sinaloa Cartel at the time. Valdez would eventually become the leader of the Beltran Leyva cartel, following the death of its leader, Arturo Beltran Leyva, in 2009.

Before his arrest by Mexican federal police in 2010, Valdez enjoyed a flashy, cartel lifestyle. Valdez wore nice suits and owned luxury homes, including a ranch with a zoo that housed a lion, prosecutor Elizabeth Hathaway said in court.

His image was one of intimidation and allure. In the years that he ran the drug gang, Valdez became a legend of sorts in Laredo - even inspiring a movie to be made based on his life.

In an interview by the Houston Chronicle in 2010, the Laredo Police Department attempted to make sense of a man who got his start selling dime bags of marijuana to leading a team of assassins.

"There is a lot of speculation as to what relationships he had and what relationships led up to where he is now," said Investigator Jose E. Baeza, Laredo Police Department spokesman. "He was able to do enough to gain the trust."

Even Valdez's own family is still striving for answers to grasp his violent cartel ties. On Monday, Duffey said he struggled to understand how Valdez got so off track despite his strong family background.

"Why are you a prosecutor and why is your brother a seriously evil criminal?" Duffey asked Carla Valdez.

That's a question her family asks every day, she said.

Despite their family member's ruthless crimes, Valdez's parents, siblings, nieces and nephews packed the courtroom in support of their loved one. During his sentencing hearing, his siblings pleaded with the judge for leniency.

But Duffey wasn't swayed.

Valdez was handed a sentence of 49 years and one month for crimes in which Duffey referred to as despicable and a betrayal to his family and his country. In addition to time served, Valdez was also ordered to forfeit $192 million.

Valdez told the judge he accepted responsibility for his wrongdoing and apologized to his family.

"I'm not a bad person," Valdez said. "I am a good person who has made bad decisions."