Ex-drug cartel boss released in El Paso
Times staff
Article Launched: 03/06/2008 08:47:28 AM MST


Francisco Rafael Arrellano Felix, 58, was released from a U.S. prison and sent back to Mexico through El Paso, according to published reports in Southern California.
Arellano Felix is said to be the oldest of several brothers who run a violent drug cartel in Northern Mexico.

According to court records obtained by the El Paso Times, Arellano Felix pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court in 2007 to charges of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and to possession with intent to distribute cocaine. The plea came nine months after he was extradited to the United States from Mexico.

According to reports, Arellano Felix was freed from an American prison and transferred to Juarez through El Paso. However, local authorities have not confirmed the information.

The Arellano Felix organization has a long history of violence associated with a continuing drug war in Mexico that so far has claimed nearly 3,000 lives.

http://www.elpasotimes.com/newupdated/ci_8472208