Drug cartel boss Osiel Cardenas, known for extreme violence, deported to Mexico

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement police officers hold drug lord Osiel Cardenas Guillen, who was deported and handed to Mexican authorities in Tijuana December 16, 2024, as he stands for a picture in this undated handout photograph. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement/Handout via REUTERS

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -The U.S. government deported drug lord Osiel Cardenas on Monday, transferring custody of the ex-Gulf Cartel chief known for hyper-violent tactics to Mexican authorities at the border city of Tijuana, two federal government officials told Reuters.

One of the sources noted that the one-time cartel boss had been taken to Mexico's Almoloya prison, and that he now faces three criminal charges in his home country.