Drug cartel leader in court next week

By Susan Shroder
Monday, January 3, 2011 at 6:25 p.m.

A man that federal authorities say was the primary representative for the Arellano-Felix drug cartel in Mexico City is scheduled to appear next week in federal court in San Diego for a detention hearing.

Rigoberto Yanez, 41, was extradited Dec. 11 from Mexico to the United States to face racketeering, drug conspiracy and money laundering charges. He was arraigned Thursday in San Diego before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara L. Major and will appear Jan. 11 for a detention hearing.

A superseding indictment issued in December 2003 contends that Yanez was the first point of contact in Mexico City for Colombian drug traffickers who wanted to do business with the cartel.

The indictment, which detailed the operation’s inner workings, alleged that Yanez transmitted money to Colombian drug traffickers and supervised the receipt of drug shipments that arrived outside of the Baja California, Mexico area, as well as the transportation of drugs to the Tijuana and Mexicali areas.

According to court documents, Yanez also had the prime responsibility for the kidnapping and murder of cartel enemies in Mexico City.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011 ... next-week/