Thread: Gulf Cartel Member Arrested in Port Isabel TX.

Accused Gulf Cartel Member Arrested in Port Isabel

Last Update: 8:02 am
CHANNEL 5 NEWS

BROWNSVILLE - An up-and-coming member of Mexico's Gulf Cartel is in federal custody in the Valley. Rafael Cardenas Vela will head to federal court later today. Cardenas is the nephew of cartel kingpin Osiel Cardenas-Guillen, who is now locked up in a supermax prison in Colorado.

Port Isabel police arrested Rafael Cardenas Vela last Thursday after they got a tip. Officers say Cardenas Vela was taken into custody as he was being driven to South Padre Island by two bodyguards. Officers also arrested the bodyguards.

An affidavit shows Cardenas Vela admitted to entering the country illegally by using another man's passport. He also allegedly confessed to smuggling tons of marijuana and cocaine into the U.S. Cardenas is facing charges of conspiracy to distribute narcotics and misuse of a visa.

Today he's expected to go before a federal judge in Brownsville for a detention and preliminary hearing. CHANNEL 5 NEWS has learned Cardenas has hired a lawyer from McAllen to represent him.

http://www.krgv.com/news/local/story/Ac ... qxC7w.cspx

As long as we don't dump him across the border. It might cause violence in Mexico if we did.

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