Latest news with #Beltran-LeyvaOrganization
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Yahoo
Wealthy suburb rocked by suspected cartel murder-for-hire shows drug lords' reach across US: expert
After a high-ranking cartel member accused of a murder-for-hire scheme in a wealthy United States suburb was extradited to the U.S. in late February to stand trial, experts on cartel operations warn that ordinary Americans could be caught in the crossfire of Mexican cartel feuds. According to the Department of Justice, Jose Rodolfo Villarreal Hernandez, known as "El Gato," was brought to the U.S. to face justice for his alleged orchestration of a murder that took place in May 2013 in Southlake, an affluent community outside Dallas, Texas. Villarreal Hernandez is a Mexican national and former leader of the Beltran-Leyva Organization (BLO) Drug Cartel, whose hired cartel goons allegedly stalked and murdered Juan Jesus Guerrero Chapa, an attorney and U.S. government informant who represented the rival Gulf Cartel, authorities said. Guerrero Chapa was gunned down in a daytime shooting in a busy Southlake shopping center while he and his wife were returning to their vehicle. Trump Admin Promises To Be 'Ruthlessly Aggressive' In Response To Cartel Killing Of Us Citizen The killing in an American community such as Southlake shows that ordinary Americans should be more vigilant, both in their daily lives and online, as cartel members are increasingly embedding themselves within communities across the U.S., experts say. Read On The Fox News App "The answer is yes, the cartels have definitely infiltrated into the United States," Jarrod Sadulski, owner of Sadulski Enterprises, told Fox News Digital. Sadulski worked at the Department of Homeland Security via the Coast Guard for 26 years, with extensive experience in human trafficking, counter-terrorism and homeland security. "So because of the open borders the last four years, there is an exponentially higher amount of criminal bad actors in the United States, to include cartel members," he said. "And so where people should always remain vigilant, now is the time for a heightened level of vigilance because of the people that have been brought into the United States." Mexico Extradites Dozens Of Cartel Leaders And Members To Us, Including Drug Lord Rafael Caro Quintero Ali Hopper works with Sadulski and is also the founder of a nonprofit called GUARD Against Trafficking. Both have testified before Congress regarding their research and expertise with Mexican drug cartels. Hopper said that younger, newer groups like Tren de Aragua and their members are far more violent than their cartel predecessors. "They operate with impunity," she said. "They don't have any regard for life, whether it's the life of an adult or a child. And they will deal in whatever makes the most money the fastest. And the new guard has virtually no structure. It's kind of like survival of the fittest." The pair also noted that cartel members are making more of an effort to blend in. Some have stopped getting identifying tattoos, which used to make them easy targets for law enforcement. Many have also started legitimate businesses in the U.S. to launder money through. Texas Official Issues Warning After Rancher Killed By Cartel Ied In Mexico: 'A Terrorist Attack,' Son Says Villarreal Hernandez blamed Guerrero Chapa for the death of his father, which was his motive for the alleged murder-for-hire plot, authorities said. After spending more than two years on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List, Villarreal Hernandez was captured in 2023 by Mexican authorities in Atizapán de Zaragoza, Mexico. He is now in the U.S. to stand trial on charges of interstate stalking and murder-for-hire, both of which carry maximum sentences of life in prison or article source: Wealthy suburb rocked by suspected cartel murder-for-hire shows drug lords' reach across US: expert
Fox News
19-03-2025
- Fox News
Wealthy suburb rocked by suspected cartel murder-for-hire shows drug lords' reach across US: expert
After a high-ranking cartel member accused of a murder-for-hire scheme in a wealthy United States suburb was extradited to the U.S. in late February to stand trial, experts on cartel operations warn that ordinary Americans could be caught in the crossfire of Mexican cartel feuds. According to the Department of Justice, Jose Rodolfo Villarreal Hernandez, known as "El Gato," was brought to the U.S. to face justice for his alleged orchestration of a murder that took place in May 2013 in Southlake, an affluent community outside Dallas, Texas. Villarreal Hernandez is a Mexican national and former leader of the Beltran-Leyva Organization (BLO) Drug Cartel, whose hired cartel goons allegedly stalked and murdered Juan Jesus Guerrero Chapa, an attorney and U.S. government informant who represented the rival Gulf Cartel, authorities said. Guerrero Chapa was gunned down in a daytime shooting in a busy Southlake shopping center while he and his wife were returning to their vehicle. The killing in an American community such as Southlake shows that ordinary Americans should be more vigilant, both in their daily lives and online, as cartel members are increasingly embedding themselves within communities across the U.S., experts say. "The answer is yes, the cartels have definitely infiltrated into the United States," Jarrod Sadulski, owner of Sadulski Enterprises, told Fox News Digital. Sadulski worked at the Department of Homeland Security via the Coast Guard for 26 years, with extensive experience in human trafficking, counter-terrorism and homeland security. "So because of the open borders the last four years, there is an exponentially higher amount of criminal bad actors in the United States, to include cartel members," he said. "And so where people should always remain vigilant, now is the time for a heightened level of vigilance because of the people that have been brought into the United States." Ali Hopper works with Sadulski and is also the founder of a nonprofit called GUARD Against Trafficking. Both have testified before Congress regarding their research and expertise with Mexican drug cartels. Hopper said that younger, newer groups like Tren de Aragua and their members are far more violent than their cartel predecessors. "They operate with impunity," she said. "They don't have any regard for life, whether it's the life of an adult or a child. And they will deal in whatever makes the most money the fastest. And the new guard has virtually no structure. It's kind of like survival of the fittest." The pair also noted that cartel members are making more of an effort to blend in. Some have stopped getting identifying tattoos, which used to make them easy targets for law enforcement. Many have also started legitimate businesses in the U.S. to launder money through. Villarreal Hernandez blamed Guerrero Chapa for the death of his father, which was his motive for the alleged murder-for-hire plot, authorities said. After spending more than two years on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List, Villarreal Hernandez was captured in 2023 by Mexican authorities in Atizapán de Zaragoza, Mexico. He is now in the U.S. to stand trial on charges of interstate stalking and murder-for-hire, both of which carry maximum sentences of life in prison or death.
CBS News
01-03-2025
- CBS News
Cartel boss "El Gato" extradited to U.S. from Mexico for 2013 North Texas murder-for-hire
A cartel boss known as "El Gato," linked to a 2013 Southlake murder-for-hire, has been extradited from Mexico to the United States, according to acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad Meacham. José Rodolfo Villarreal-Hernandez, a high-ranking member of the Beltran-Leyva Organization (BLO) drug cartel, was charged in June 2018 with interstate stalking and conspiracy to commit the broad daylight killing of lawyer Juan Jesus Guerrero Chapa in Southlake Town Square. Villarreal-Hernandez, who allegedly oversaw cocaine importation and committed violent acts to maintain cartel power, was one of 29 cartel bosses extradited on Thursday from Mexico to the U.S., Meacham said in a news release. According to Meacham, Villarreal-Hernandez is scheduled to make his initial appearance in federal court next week. "After more than a decade, Mr. Villarreal-Hernandez will have to answer for his alleged crimes in an American courtroom," Meacham said. "Violence and drug trafficking are evil bedfellows, but together we will ensure communities remain safe and criminals face justice," said Eduardo A. Chávez, DEA Dallas special agent in charge. The 43-year-old Chapa was gunned down with his wife sitting by his side in their Range Rover on May 22, 2013. Chapa was allegedly a lawyer for the notoriously violent Gulf Cartel drug trafficking organization and an informant for the U.S. government. Chapa, who was sitting in the passenger seat, was shot at least five times. Police said most of the bullets hit him in the upper torso. His slaying was the first killing in Southlake in more than a decade. Three other men, Jesus Gerardo Ledezma-Campano, Jesus Gerardo Ledezma-Cepeda, and Jose Luis Cepeda-Cortes, were previously indicted on interstate stalking and conspiracy to murder-for-hire charges. In 2016, Ledezma-Campano testified that Villarreal-Hernandez had hired his father to track down Chapa. Earlier witnesses had stated that Villarreal-Hernandez wanted Chapa dead because he believed Chapa was responsible for his father's death. Ledezma-Campano also revealed that Villarreal-Hernandez spent $1 million on the operation and rewarded Ledezma-Cepeda with a BMW and a hunting trip. Additionally, he mentioned that the killing was celebrated with a big party. Ledezma-Campano and Cepeda-Cortes were convicted and sentenced to life in prison. In 2018, a federal arrest warrant was issued in the United States District Court, Northern District of Texas, for Villarreal-Hernandez. Villarreal-Hernandez was added to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list in 2020. At that time, the U.S. Department of State's Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program offered a reward of up to $1 million for information leading directly to his arrest. He was added to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List in October 2020 and was arrested in January 2023 in Mexico. Authorities have said Villarreal-Hernandez, when he returned, would face the death penalty.
