Former Mexican drug lord pleads guilty to charges in US court
A former leading figure in the Mexican drug gangs has pleaded guilty to charges of racketeering and conspiracy to launder money in a US court, it has been revealed.
Benjamin Arellano Felix, 58, who was deemed one of the most powerful drug lords in the US and Mexico in the 1990s, appeared in the US court after being extradited to the country last year.
Arellano Felix is accused of leading the Tijuana-based Arellano Felix Organisation, which was responsible for smuggling hundreds of tons of marijuana along the border with California. He is thought to have led the cartel between 1989 and 2002, when he was arrested.
He now faces up to 25 years in prison when he is sentenced on April 2nd this year.
The drug trafficking gang reportedly began to lose its influence in the market when Arellano Felix was arrested and lost out to the Zetas cartel, which is today considered one of the most violent and influential gangs in the country, according to radio broadcaster NPR.
