ERO Chicago removes notorious zeta cartel fugitive sought by Mexican authorities for murder

CHICAGO — U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations Chicago, with assistance from ERO San Diego, Harlingen, Texas, Mexico City, and ERO Removals’ International Operations Division, today removed Osiel Cardenas Guillen, 57, a known zeta cartel member, to Mexico, where he is wanted for homicide and illegal possession of a firearm.

“The successful removal of Osiel Cardenas, a notorious international fugitive, underscores our unwavering commitment to public safety and justice,” said ERO Chicago Field Office Director Samuel Olson. “This operation, executed with precision and coordination by ERO Chicago, alongside our dedicated partners in San Diego, Harlingen, Mexico City and the International Operations Division, demonstrates the power of collaboration in law enforcement. By returning this dangerous individual to Mexico, where he faces serious charges, we have taken a significant step in safeguarding our communities and upholding the rule of law.”

ERO officers took custody of Cardenas from the United States Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana and transferred him to the Otay Mesa Detention Center. Officers escorted Cardenas via the San Diego Port of Entry where he was handed over to Mexican law enforcement without incident.

Cardenas entered the U.S. on Aug. 27, 1992, in Brownsville, Texas using a Border Crossing Card which permitted a temporary stay within 25 miles of the U.S./Mexico border. On that same date, Cardenas was arrested for possessing with intent to distribute, approximately two kilograms of cocaine. Cardenas was transferred to Cameron County Jail in Brownsville, Texas.

On Jan. 13, 1993, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas in Brownsville convicted Cardenas for possessing with intent to distribute, a quantity exceeding 500 grams, that is, approximately two kilograms gross weight of cocaine and sentenced him to 63 months incarceration.

On Dec. 23, 1993, Cardenas transferred to Mexico under the Treaty between the United States and Mexico on the Execution of Penal Sentences. On March 14, 2000, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Houston filed an indictment against Cardenas for 13 counts of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana, six counts of assault on a federal officer, one count of laundering monetary instruments, one count of conspiracy to import into the United States from Mexico cocaine and marijuana, and one count continuing criminal enterprise.

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs worked with the Government of Mexico to secure his arrest and extradition. Subsequently, on Jan. 19, 2007, Mexico extradited Cardenas to the United States to stand trial in the Southern District of Texas. On Jan. 19, 2007, U.S. Customs and Border Protection paroled Cardenas into the United States at the Houston port of entry until Jan. 18, 2008, while under U.S. Marshals Service custody. The Marshals Service transferred Cardenas to the Federal Correctional Facility, La Tuna in Anthony, Texas.

On March 3, 2010, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas in Houston convicted Cardenas of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana, conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, and threatening to assault and murder a federal agent. Cardenas was sentenced to a total term of 25 years’ incarceration at USP Terre Haute. This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations Rio Grande Valley in coordination with other federal and local law enforcement partners.

On Feb. 16, 2022, ERO Chicago encountered Cardenas at USP Terre Haute and lodged an immigration detainer.

On July 3, ERO Mexico City notified ERO Chicago that Cardenas had several active arrest warrants in Mexico.

On Aug. 5, ERO Chicago served Cardenas with a notice of intent to issue a final administrative removal order, citing federal aggravated felony convictions, as amended, in that, at any time after admission, you have been convicted of an aggravated felony, an offense relating to the illicit trafficking in a controlled substance, including a drug trafficking crime.

ERO is one of ICE’s three operational directorates and is the principal federal law enforcement authority in charge of domestic immigration enforcement. ERO’s mission is to protect the homeland through the arrest and removal of those who undermine the safety of U.S. communities and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws, and its primary areas of focus are interior enforcement operations, management of the agency’s detained and non-detained populations, and repatriation of noncitizens who have received final orders of removal. ERO’s workforce consists of more than 7,700 law enforcement and non-law enforcement support personnel across 25 domestic field offices and 208 locations nationwide, 30 overseas postings, and multiple temporary duty travel assignments along the border.

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