Former Gulf Cartel Boss Sentenced to 20 Years in Mexico; US Extradition Pending

"Morogris" for Borderland Beat; TY to "Parro" and "NealinCaborca"

Mario Cardenas Guillen was also known by his aliases El M-1 and/or El Gordo.

Mario Cardenas Guillen, a former leader of the Gulf Cartel, was sentenced to 20 years in prison this weekend for organized crime involvement and drug trafficking. He was originally sentenced in June 2019, but his lawyers successfully appealed and overturned the sentence.

He is the brother of Osiel Cárdenas Guillén, the once legendary leader of the Gulf Cartel and its former paramilitary group, Los Zetas. Osiel was sentenced to 25 years in the US in 2010 and is scheduled for early release in 2024, as reported by Borderland Beat.

For his time already served in Mexico, Mario will be out in 2032, should be not be extradited to the US. He is wanted by the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas for drug trafficking. Mario is currently imprisoned at the Federal Social Readaptation Center No. 1 ("Altiplano"), a maximum-security prison in the State of Mexico.

Background

Mario was born in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, the historic home base of the Gulf Cartel, in 1964. He was imprisoned at a penitentiary in Matamoros in 1995 for drug trafficking and organized crime involvement.

While in prison, Mario was also known for holding large parties, inviting prostitutes, organized gambling rings for horse races and cockfights, and having all sort of commodities. He was also suspected of coordinating drug trafficking activities for the Gulf Cartel. Federal authorities then transferred him to the Federal Social Readaptation Center No. 2 ("Puente Grande"), a maximum-security prison in Jalisco.

Mario Cardenas Guillen during his 2012 arrest. 

He was released from prison in 2007 and resumed his organized crime activities. He rose through the ranks of the Gulf Cartel after the November 2010 death of his brother Antonio Ezequiel Cárdenas Guillén ("Tony Tormenta").

Mario was part of a faction known as Grupo M and/or Los Marinos, which was reportedly made up of former marines and was based in Matamoros. His code name was "M-1", but it is often confused with the code names from another Gulf Cartel faction, Los Metros. Cartel member Lorenzo Cuellar Botello from Los Metros also had the code name "M-1".

In September 2012, Mario was arrested by the Mexican Navy in Altamira, Tamaulipas.

Extradition proceedings

In October 2020, Borderland Beat reported that Mexico's Attorney General's Office (FGR) announced Mario was approved for U.S. extradition. But he was able to stay in Mexico after arguing that the COVID-19 pandemic posed a health risk to him.

Earlier that year, Mario had been successful at halting his extradition to the U.S. His attorneys were able to convince a federal judge to re-review the prerequisites required for his transfer and that the prosecution had violated several articles of the Extradition Treaty between the U.S. and Mexico, as reported by Borderland Beat.

Sources: Proyecto Puente; Borderland Beat archives

Mario Cardenas Guillen - U.... by MX