One of the leaders of the Beltran Leyva Cartel is expected to make his first appearance before a U.S. federal judge following his extradition from Mexico.
On Monday afternoon, Alfredo “Mochomo” Beltran Leyva will go before U.S. District Judge Alan Key in Washington DC for his initial hearing on multiple drug conspiracy and money laundering charges.
“Over the past two decades, the Beltran Leyva Cartel has distributed tens of thousands of kilograms of dangerous narcotics and engaged in a campaign of violence that sparked drug wars and jeopardized public safety across America,” said Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell in a prepared statement released to Breitbart Texas. “Today’s extradition of alleged kingpin Alfredo Beltran Leyva is an important step toward stamping out an organization that has ruined the lives of so many.”
Beltran Leyva, 43, led the drug cartel bearing his name from the 1990’s until his arrest by Mexican authorities in January 2008, along with his two brothers Hector “El H” and Arturo “El Barbas” Beltran Leyva. Arturo Beltran Leyva died in 2009 following a shootout with Mexican authorities while Hector was recently caught in the tourist town of San Miguel de Allende.
Originally, the Beltran Leyva was an associate of the Sinaloa Cartel working together to move multiple tons of cocaine into the U.S. and while doing so the organization also employed cartel hitmen responsible for hundreds of murders, kidnappings, tortures, and other criminal activities.
Following Alfredo’s arrest, the two criminal organizations parted ways since the Beltran Leyva brothers blamed the Sinaloa Cartel for having led authorities to them.
Follow Ildefonso Ortiz on Twitter @ildefonsoortiz
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