Kingpins to Sicarios: A Who’s Who of Mexico’s Extradited Cartel Bosses
The 29 cartel leaders sent to the US represent forty years of evolution. The Guadalajara Cartel, the Sinaloa Cartel, the CJNG, the Zetas, the BLO, even the Gulf Cartel - everybody came to play.
This week, Mexico took the unprecedented step to extradite 29 alleged cartel bosses to the United States. This “mega-extradition” includes kingpins and lieutenants from nearly every major Mexican cartel – from the old-guard empires of the 1980s and 90s to the ultra-violent factions of the 2000s and the new-generation syndicates of the 2010s.
Together, they exemplify the evolution of cartel structures and operations: a timeline of shifting strategies, rivalries, and criminal enterprises.
During the 1980s, kingpins like Rafael Caro Quintero helped found the first major Mexican cartels, such as the Guadalajara Cartel, forging the original cocaine pipelines to the U.S. By the 1990s, successors like Vicente "El Viceroy" Carrillo Fuentes inherited sprawling smuggling networks, revived in structures like the Juárez Cartel. These early capos built cohesive organizations, often clan-based, that controlled territories with bribes and occasional brutality.
The 2000s brought a new breed. Traffickers like Miguel "Z-40" Treviño and his brother, Óscar Omar "Z-42" Treviño of the Zetas made militarized tactics and terror a central part of their strategy – massacring foes, leaving bodies hanging from bridges or dissolving them in acid, and battling Mexican forces head-on.
That cartel warfare escalated as groups splintered: the Beltrán Leyva Organization broke from Sinaloa, and La Familia Michoacana rose in Michoacán with cult-like zeal, illustrating how cartels could morph and fragment. Leadership structures shifted from clear hierarchies to networked factions and paramilitary cells.
New upstarts like the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) became dominant, taking over the Zetas’ mantle of extreme violence, introducing drone bombings, and specializing in fentanyl trafficking.
In the 2020s, the cartel landscape shifted again. The Sinaloa Cartel began to fracture after Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán’s downfall, giving rise to factions like Los Chapitos (led by Chapo’s sons) and rival lieutenants. The arrest and extradition of Ismael Zambada "El Mayo" García in 2024 precipitated this, with the Chapitos engaging in a brutal turf war with the Mayitos, loyal to García.
This has upended Sinaloa and is the most significant drug conflict in Mexico, upending the group which had dominated the country’s drug trade.
Below, World of Crime provides a complete who’s who of the 29 extradited figures, their group affiliations, and their relevance to the US-Mexico drug trade.
Legendary Figures
Rafael Caro Quintero, alias “El Narco de Narcos”
Cartel Affiliation: Guadalajara Cartel, founder
Rafael Caro Quintero is a legendary figure from the birth of Mexico’s modern drug trade. As a co-founder of the Guadalajara Cartel in the late 1970s and 1980s, Caro Quintero helped pioneer large-scale marijuana and cocaine trafficking to the United States. He infamously orchestrated the 1985 kidnapping, torture, and murder of DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena – a crime that made him a top U.S. target. Caro Quintero epitomized the old guard of cartel bosses who operated with relative impunity by corrupting officials. He was arrested in 1985 in Mexico and served 28 years before a controversial 2013 release. After years in hiding, he was recaptured in 2022 after becoming associated with the newer Caborca Cartel.
Vicente Carrillo Fuentes, alias “El Viceroy”
Cartel Affiliation: Juárez Cartel, leader
Vicente Carrillo Fuentes led the Juárez Cartel during the 1990s and early 2000s, inheriting the empire built by his brother Amado Carrillo, the infamous “Lord of the Skies.” As “El Viceroy,” Vicente oversaw one of Mexico’s most powerful cartels at its peak. Under his leadership, the Juárez Cartel controlled the key Ciudad Juárez–El Paso trafficking corridor, smuggling tons of cocaine and other drugs into the U.S. and amassing immense wealth. Vicente maintained a violent grip on power: he’s accused of ordering multiple murders to protect the enterprise, including killing informants and rivals. After Amado’s death in 1997, Vicente’s reign saw brutal turf wars with the Sinaloa Cartel. He was captured in Mexico in 2014. His extradition to the U.S. closes a chapter on one of the last major 1990s cartel bosses, whose tenure bridged the old-school cartel era and the violent cartel wars that followed.
High-Profile Leaders
Miguel Ángel Treviño Morales, alias “Z-40”
Cartel Affiliation: Los Zetas, leader
Miguel Ángel Treviño Morales, known as “Z-40,” was one of the most feared cartel leaders of the 2000s. A former enforcer who climbed the ranks, Treviño became the supreme leader of Los Zetas – a cartel born from ex-military deserters known for extreme violence. Under Z-40’s command, Los Zetas carried out some of Mexico’s worst atrocities, including the 2010 massacre of 72 migrants in San Fernando and the slaughter of 193 people in 2011. He expanded the Zetas’ empire across Mexico and into Central America, diversifying into extortion, oil theft, and arms trafficking. Treviño’s brutality made him a priority target; he was captured by Mexican Marines in 2013 and has been behind bars ever since.
Óscar Omar Treviño Morales, alias “Z-42”
Cartel Affiliation: Los Zetas/Cártel del Noreste, leader
Óscar Omar Treviño Morales, “Z-42,” is the younger brother of Miguel Treviño and succeeded him as a leader of the Zetas’ successor group, the Cartel del Noreste (CDN). Following Z-40’s arrest, Z-42 assumed command of remaining Zetas factions around 2013–2015. Operating in Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas, he continued the Zetas’ hallmarks of ruthless violence – extorting businesses, battling the Gulf Cartel, and terrorizing communities. Mexican authorities considered Z-42 one of the principal generators of violence in those states. He was captured in 2015. Z-42’s extradition is significant because it targets the leadership of CDN, which remains active to this day. While less infamous internationally than his brother, Omar Treviño kept the Zetas’ legacy alive by adapting to pressure – regrouping remnants into CDN and maintaining drug smuggling routes to the U.S.
Antonio Oseguera Cervantes, alias “Tony Montana”
Cartel Affiliation: CJNG, senior commander
Antonio Oseguera Cervantes, alias “Tony Montana,” is the brother of Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera – the elusive leader of the CJNG and one of the most wanted men in Mexico. Acting as one of CJNG’s principal financial and logistical operators, Tony Montana managed money laundering and arms procurement for the cartel.
Based in Jalisco, he helped transform CJNG from a regional outfit into a transnational powerhouse in the 2010s, facilitating the purchase of weapons and chemical precursors for fentanyl and meth production. He was arrested in Mexico in December 2022, a significant blow to CJNG’s leadership.
Erick Valencia Salazar, alias “El 85”
Cartel Affiliation: CJNG/Nueva Plaza Cartel, co-founder
Erick Valencia Salazar, known as “El 85,” was a co-founder of the CJNG and one of its early military-style leaders. He earned notoriety by helping to create Los Matazetas (“Zeta Killers”), a paramilitary squad originally formed to fight Los Zetas. El 85 was instrumental in CJNG’s violent rise around 2010–2012, coordinating brutal campaigns that included ambushing rivals and even shooting down a Mexican army helicopter in 2015. Captured in 2012, he later rejoined underworld conflicts after a controversial release. Valencia eventually became estranged from Mencho’s inner circle and formed a dissident group, Nueva Plaza, although that offshoot never came close to being a real threat to the CJNG.
José Alberto García Vilano, alias “La Kena”
Cartel Affiliation: Gulf Cartel – Los Ciclones, leader
José Alberto García Vilano, alias “La Kena,” is a reputed leader of Los Ciclones, a violent cell within the Gulf Cartel based in Matamoros, a crucial drug transit point in the northern state of Tamaulipas. His faction is known for fierce turf battles and attacks on rivals and authorities. U.S. officials allege La Kena was behind the high-profile March 2023 incident in Matamoros where four American tourists were kidnapped and two killed – a shocking crime that drew international attention. In Gulf Cartel infighting, La Kena fought other splinter groups for control of drug routes and border crossings. Described as cunning and ruthless, he managed drug shipments north while also engaging in local crimes like fuel theft and extortion.
José Jesús Méndez Vargas, alias “El Chango”
Cartel Affiliation: La Familia Michoacana, founder
José de Jesús “El Chango” Méndez Vargas is a co-founder and one-time leader of La Familia Michoacana, a notorious cartel with a heavy religious influence that arose in the mid-2000s. El Chango helped establish La Familia around 2006 alongside Nazario “El Más Loco” Moreno, built on a bizarre ideology fusing religion with the drug trade. Under Méndez Vargas’s leadership, La Familia Michoacana became a major producer of crystal meth, preaching a cult-like moral code even as it carried out beheadings and massacres. After a split with his partners, El Chango took full control in 2010, but the group soon fractured into the Knights Templar. He was captured by Mexican federal police in 2011. He created a different kind of cartel structure – one that at its height billed itself as vigilante protectors even while committing heinous crimes.
Sinaloa Cartel
José Guadalupe Tapia Quintero, alias “Lupe Tapia”
Cartel Affiliation: Sinaloa Cartel, logistics chief for El Mayo
José Lupe Tapia Quintero is a veteran trafficker and top logistics lieutenant in the Sinaloa Cartel. A close associate of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, Tapia was a major overseer of the cartel’s drug transportation networks. U.S. Treasury officials noted he coordinated the purchase and transportation of cocaine and methamphetamine from Sinaloa into the U.S., particularly through Arizona and California. Based in Culiacán, Tapia organized fleets of tractor-trailers and other vehicles to smuggle multi-ton shipments of cocaine, marijuana, and meth, making him essential to the cartel’s supply chain. He was indicted in the U.S. in 2013 and arrested in Mexico in 2014. Despite a low public profile, Lupe Tapia’s role was as an indispensable logistics and finance man inside the Sinaloa Cartel’s sophisticated, corporate-like structure.
Inés Enrique Torres Acosta, alias “El Kiki Torres”
Cartel Affiliation: Sinaloa Cartel, security chief for El Mayo
Inés “El Kiki” Torres Acosta served as a top security operative and bodyguard for Sinaloa Cartel boss El Mayo. As El Mayo’s chief of security, Kiki Torres was responsible for protecting one of Mexico’s most powerful drug lords, coordinating teams of armed sicarios and counter-intelligence measures. Operating in the 2010s, he helped El Mayo evade capture through elaborate security rings, safe houses, and bribery of officials. Authorities say Torres Acosta also oversaw violent enforcement for El Mayo’s faction, eliminating rivals and traitors. His nickname “Kiki” belies a fearsome reputation in Sinaloa: he is considered part of the old guard loyal to El Mayo, helping maintain continuity in the cartel as other factions, like Los Chapitos, emerged. Torres was arrested by Mexican forces in 2016.
Héctor Eduardo Infante, alias “El Tolín”
Cartel Affiliation: Sinaloa Cartel - Los Rusos, plaza boss
Héctor “El Tolín” Infante is the alleged leader of Los Rusos, a Sinaloa Cartel armed cell loyal to El Mayo in the Baja California-Sonora region. As a plaza boss in Mexicali and Rosarito, Infante fought for control of trafficking routes into California, often clashing with rival Sinaloa factions aligned with Los Chapitos. He founded his own faction nicknamed Los Infantes, dedicated to drug trafficking and enforcement operations. Infante’s crew was involved in fierce turf wars, resulting in shootouts and assassinations along the U.S.–Mexico border. He was arrested in July 2022 after a gun battle in Rosarito, Baja California. Nicknamed “El Tolín,” Infante represents the second generation of narco-lieutenants who rose to prominence in the power vacuums left by captured kingpins.
José Ángel Canobbio Inzunza, alias “El Güerito” or “El 90”
Cartel Affiliation: Sinaloa Cartel – Los Chapitos, enforcer
José Ángel Canobbio Inzunza, known as “El Güerito” (the blond one) or El 90, is a high-ranking figure in the Los Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel. He led an armed wing called Los Chimales, serving as a trusted lieutenant to the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. El Güerito’s duties ranged from organizing security for Chapitos to coordinating drug shipments through Sonora. He has been linked to violent conflicts with rival Sinaloa factions, like Los Rusos, as the Chapitos fought to assert control after El Mayo’s arrest. Canobbio was considered an important intermediary and logistics manager for the young bosses.
José Bibiano Cabrera Cabrera, alias “El Durango”
Cartel Affiliation: Sinaloa Cartel – Los Chapitos, logistics chief
José Bibiano Cabrera, alias “El Durango,” is a Sinaloa Cartel operative aligned with Los Chapitos. He served as the plaza boss of Altar, Sonora – a crucial corridor for smuggling drugs into Arizona. El Durango managed logistics and local alliances to move multi-ton drug loads through the Sonora desert. His nickname reflects origins in Durango, but his influence extended across northwestern Mexico. Cabrera’s tenure saw him engaging in firefights with rival factions as the Chapitos sought to dominate Sonora’s trafficking routes.
Jesús Humberto Limón López, alias “El Chubeto”
Cartel Affiliation: Sinaloa Cartel – Los Chapitos, enforcer
Jesús “El Chubeto” Limón López is the founder and leader of Los Cazadores, an armed group aligned with the Chapitos. Based in Sonora, Los Cazadores act as enforcers and drug transporters for the Chapitos, securing smuggling routes to Arizona. Under El Chubeto’s command, the group waged war against rival gangs, such as local cell Los Páez and El Mayo’s faction) in the Sonora and Baja California borderlands, contributing to a surge of violence in the region. El Chubeto himself is described as a “generador de violencia” (violence generator) in towns like Caborca and Altar. His crew’s tactics included armed ambushes and assassinations to eliminate competition. Limón López’s extradition removes a violent Chapitos loyalist who embodies the hyper-aggressive tactics of the post-Chapo power struggle.
CJNG (Jalisco New Generation Cartel)
Itiel Palacios García, alias “El Compa Playa”
Cartel Affiliation: CJNG, regional boss
Itiel “El Compa Playa” Palacios García was a regional boss and financial operator for CJNG, tasked with extending the cartel’s reach into Mexico’s southeast. He led CJNG’s operations in Oaxaca and Veracruz states. El Compa Playa managed drug trafficking through ports and coordinated local allies to secure supply lines. He’s also accused of stockpiling weapons to arm CJNG units. His nickname “Compa Playa” (“Beach buddy”) hints at operating along coastal routes.
Andrew Clark, alias “El Dictador”
Cartel Affiliation: CJNG/Canadian drug networks, logistics liaison
Andrew Clark, alias “El Dictador,” is a Canadian national who became an unlikely player in Mexico’s cartel scene. Far from a kingpin, Clark served as a logistical liaison between the CJNG and criminal networks in Canada. He allegedly worked closely with a Canadian trafficker and former Olympic snowboarder, Ryan James Wedding, to coordinate drug shipments from Mexico to Canada and the U.S.
Zetas/Northeast Cartel
Carlos Alberto Monsiváis Treviño, alias “La Bola”
Cartel Affiliation: Cartel del Noreste, leader
Carlos Alberto “La Bola” Monsiváis Treviño was a leader of the Cartel del Noreste (CDN), the Zetas’ successor organization centered in Nuevo Laredo. A relative of the Treviño brothers, La Bola took on a top leadership role in CDN in the late 2010s. He helped reorganize remnants of Los Zetas after their fragmentation, maintaining control of lucrative smuggling routes into south Texas. Monsiváis is known for blending violence with propaganda; he was reportedly involved in producing a 2016 video denying claims that Los Zetas funded a Mexican political campaign. Under La Bola, CDN continued brutal practices like kidnappings and executions to assert dominance in Tamaulipas and Coahuila.
Lucio Hernández Lechuga, alias “El Lucky” or “Z-100”
Cartel Affiliation: Los Zetas, regional boss
Lucio Hernández Lechuga, alias “El Lucky” and “Z-100,” was a veteran Zetas commander in charge of operations in Mexico’s Gulf coast states. He led Zeta activities in Veracruz, Oaxaca, and Puebla, overseeing drug sales, highway robberies, fuel theft, and arms stockpiling in those territories. El Lucky was one of the last original Zetas members – a highly trained ex-military turned cartel lieutenant. He evaded capture for years by violently controlling his turf and moving clandestinely. Authorities finally arrested him in 2011, hailing it as a major blow to the Zetas. Now extradited, Hernández Lechuga faces U.S. charges likely tied to cocaine trafficking routes that ran from Central America through his domain.
Jesús Alberto Galaviz Vega, alias “Z-13” or “El Pinky”
Cartel Affiliation: Los Zetas/Cartel del Noreste, regional boss
Jesús Alberto Galaviz Vega, alias “Z-13,” was a regional boss of Los Zetas. Sometimes nicknamed “El Pinky,” Galaviz led Zeta operations in Coahuila and Tamaulipas, coordinating drug shipments and ruthless enforcement. He is alleged to have orchestrated ambushes against Mexican police and military – reportedly linked to over 50 attacks on law enforcement. As a younger Zeta lieutenant, Z-13 represents the continuity of Zetas’ violent tactics into the 2010s, even as the group splintered. He was key in controlling areas around Nuevo Laredo and Monterrey for the Zetas, dealing in cocaine, heroin, and meth smuggling across the Texas border, until his arrest in 2013.
Ramiro Pérez Moreno, alias “El Rama”
Cartel Affiliation: Los Zetas, regional boss
Ramiro “El Rama” Pérez Moreno is identified as a regional leader of Los Zetas, responsible for operations in northeastern Mexico. As a plaza boss, El Rama coordinated drug trafficking and violent enforcement in locales under Zeta influence. He is believed to have overseen cells that carried out kidnappings and extortion, ensuring local authorities remained intimidated or corrupted. El Rama was especially active in Tamaulipas and Nuevo León during the early 2010s, a period of bloody confrontations between the Zetas and the Gulf Cartel. Though not as infamous as top Zeta bosses, El Rama’s role was crucial in sustaining daily criminal operations.
Alfredo Rangel Buendía, alias “El Chicles”
Cartel Affiliation: Los Zetas, regional commander
Alfredo “El Chicles” Rangel Buendía is a regional boss associated with Los Zetas, known for controlling cells in Central Mexico. His nickname “El Chicles” (chewing gum) belies a hardened trafficker who led drug routes and safe houses for the Zetas. He reportedly managed operations moving cocaine and methamphetamine through the Gulf Coast and central corridor, using violence to protect shipments. Rangel Buendía also handled local distribution and extortion in his area. El Chicles represents the cadre of mid-level Zetas who kept the cartel functioning across far-flung territories.
Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Díaz, alias “Alfa Metro”
Cartel Affiliation: Los Zetas, plaza boss
Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Díaz, known by the handle “Alfa Metro,” was a plaza boss for Los Zetas in northern Coahuila. He commanded Zeta operations in cities like Piedras Negras and Ciudad Acuña along the Texas border. Alfa Metro was responsible for moving drugs across the Río Grande and controlling criminal rackets in his sector – from drug sales and arms smuggling to brutal intimidation of civilians. Coahuila bore witness to some of the Zetas’ worst massacres, such as the Allende massacre of 2011, and operatives like Rodríguez Díaz enforced cartel rule by any means necessary.
Gulf Cartel
Evaristo Cruz Sánchez, alias “El Vaquero”
Cartel Affiliation: Gulf Cartel, regional boss
Evaristo Cruz Sánchez, nicknamed the Cowboy, was a regional boss of the Gulf Cartel, one of Mexico’s oldest crime syndicates. Operating primarily in Tamaulipas state, El Vaquero led a faction of the Gulf Cartel during the late 2010s, vying for control of border plazas. He has been identified as a major generator of violence – suspected of orchestrating kidnappings, extortion rackets, and fierce turf wars in cities like Matamoros and Reynosa. Mexican authorities arrested El Vaquero in 2021, describing him as a priority target for his role in destabilizing the region. While less internationally notorious than some kingpins, El Vaquero exemplifies how the Gulf Cartel’s leadership became increasingly fragmented in recent years.
Beltrán Leyva Organization
José Rodolfo Villarreal Hernández, alias “El Gato”
Cartel Affiliation: Beltrán Leyva Organization, regional boss
José Rodolfo Villarreal Hernández held a leadership role in BLO, which was once aligned with the Sinaloa Cartel before a bitter split in 2008. El Gato gained international infamy for allegedly orchestrating a murder-for-hire plot in Southlake, Texas in 2013. The target was a Mexican lawyer assassinated in broad daylight as part of a BLO revenge mission on U.S. soil. Beyond that high-profile hit, Villarreal is linked to interstate stalking and violence against perceived enemies of the cartel. Operating primarily out of Monterrey, Nuevo León, El Gato directed BLO’s sicarios and managed drug routes after the group’s founders were arrested or killed. He evaded capture for years until arrested in 2020.
Norberto Valencia González, alias “Socialitos”
Cartel Affiliation: Beltrán Leyva Organization, money launderer
Norberto Valencia González was a financial operative for the BLO. Rather than leading hit squads, Valencia was an accountant and money launderer who kept the cartel’s illicit profits flowing. He managed a network of at least five front companies to wash drug money, investing in businesses and real estate to hide BLO’s earnings. Active in the late 2000s and 2010s, Socialitos exemplifies the white-collar side of cartel operations – the logisticians who ensure that proceeds from U.S. drug sales return to cartel coffers in Mexico. His capture in Mexico revealed ledgers and financial records critical to understanding BLO’s financial infrastructure. By extraditing Valencia, U.S. authorities gain access to an insider who can illuminate how cartels exploit banks and shell companies.
Rodolfo López Ibarra, alias “Nito”
Cartel Affiliation: Beltrán Leyva Organization, plaza boss
Rodolfo “Nito” López Ibarra served as a plaza boss for the BLO in Nuevo León state. He controlled drug distribution and local operations around Monterrey, a major industrial city that became a BLO stronghold in the late 2000s. As the BLO fragmented following the deaths of its founders, mid-level bosses like Nito maintained the cartel’s drug corridors and protected its interests through violence and corruption at the local level. He was responsible for trafficking cocaine and other narcotics through Nuevo León and into Texas, while also coordinating extortion and kidnapping rings to finance the cartel. López Ibarra’s extradition highlights the U.S. pursuit of even regional cartel leaders. His removal is a blow to the remnant BLO networks that, though diminished, continued to traffic drugs and cause bloodshed in northeastern Mexico.
Juárez Cartel
Luis Gerardo Méndez Estevane, alias “El Tío”
Cartel Affiliation: Juárez Cartel – La Línea/Los Aztecas, enforcer
Luis Gerardo Méndez Estevane as was an enforcer tied to the Juárez Cartel’s feared armed wing. He belonged to Los Aztecas, a cross-border gang that acted as foot soldiers for the Juárez Cartel’s La Línea faction. El Tío rose through the ranks during the late 2000s, a period when Ciudad Juárez was one of the world’s deadliest cities due to cartel wars. He is implicated in notorious acts of violence, including the 2010 massacre of 15 teenagers at a party in Juárez and the brazen March 13, 2010 ambush that killed three people connected to the U.S. Consulate. Those attacks, targeting U.S. employees and their families, underscored the cartel’s terror tactics. El Tío later helped found La Empresa, a splinter group of La Línea.
Unaffiliated
Alder Alfonso Marín Sotelo
Cartel Affiliation: None
Alder Alfonso Marín Sotelo is the one extradited individual who is not a known cartel member or boss, but rather an accused murderer who fled to Mexico. A U.S. citizen, Marín Sotelo was wanted in North Carolina for his alleged role in the August 2022 killing of Wake County Deputy Sheriff Ned Byrd.
After the officer’s shooting, Marín Sotelo escaped to Mexico, prompting a manhunt. Though not part of a cartel hierarchy, his case was swept into this mass extradition as a gesture of bilateral law enforcement cooperation. He could face capital murder charges in North Carolina for killing a law enforcement officer.
Great reporting.