Ramón Arellano Félix

Ramon Arellano Félix (August 31, 1964 – February 10, 2002) was a Mexican drug trafficker whom authorities linked to the Tijuana drug cartel (aka the Arellano-Félix Organization).^[1]

Biography

At 188 cm (6 foot 2 inch) and 100 kg (220 lb), Arellano Félix was allegedly one of the most ruthless members of the cartel and was a suspect in various murders. Arellano Félix had been linked by Mexican police to the 1997 massacre of twelve members of a family outside of Ensenada, Baja California. The family was related to a drug dealer that had an unpaid debt to the Arellano Félix Cartel. On September 18, 1997, Ramon Arellano Félix became the 451st fugitive to be placed to the Ten Most Wanted list. Leading to his Most Wanted Fugitive listing in the United States, he had been charged in a sealed indictment in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California, with Conspiracy to Import Cocaine and Marijuana in drug trafficking.

Some of his aliases were "Patrón", "Colores", "Comandante Mon". He was believed to have a soft voice. He also had gold incrustations in his gun. His favorite vehicles were Chevrolets: Silverados, Tahoes and Suburbans.

Kingpin Act sanction

On 1 June 2000, the United States Department of the Treasury sanctioned Ramón under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (sometimes referred to simply as the "Kingpin Act"), for his involvement in drug trafficking along with eleven other international criminals.^[2] The act prohibited U.S. citizens and companies from doing any kind of business activity with him, and virtually froze all his assets in the U.S.^[3]

Death and aftermath

Ramon Arellano Félix was killed in a gun fight in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, where he was stopped due to a traffic infraction by a Mexican police officer who did not know at the time who Ramon Arellano Felix really was. Arellano Félix drew his gun and shot the police officer, who shot him back while falling to the ground on February 10, 2002. It is suspected that he was in Mazatlán to kill his bitter rival Ismael Zambada García. Arellano's older brother, Benjamín Arellano Félix, the cartel's mastermind, was arrested weeks later on March 9. The youngest of the Arellano brothers, Francisco Javier Arellano Félix, was arrested with some associates at sea, by the United States Coast Guard, on August 14, 2006. They were in international waters 25 km (16 mi) off the coast of Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. He was extradited to the U.S. on September 16, 2006.

The only brother of the Arellano Félix cartel then at large, Eduardo Arellano Félix, was captured by the Mexican Army on October 26, 2008. At the time, the US State Department had been offering a reward of up to $5 million USD for information leading to his arrest. According to a Mexican official at the time of Eduardo Arellano Félix's capture, control of the cartel passed to Luis Fernando Sánchez Arellano, son of Eduardo Arellano Félix's sister Alicia.

See also

• Mexican Drug War
• Illegal drug trade
• Mérida Initiative

References

1. ↑ Steller, Tim (15 April 1998). "Mexican drug runners may have used C-130 from Arizona". The Arizona Daily Star. Archived at California State University Northridge. Archived from the original on 2008-01-03. Retrieved 2007-09-26. 
2. ↑ "DESIGNATIONS PURSUANT TO THE FOREIGN NARCOTICS KINGPIN DESIGNATION ACT" (PDF). United States Department of the Treasury. 15 May 2014. p. 1. Retrieved 28 May 2014. 
3. ↑ "An overview of the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act" (PDF). United States Department of the Treasury. 2009. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 May 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2014. 

External links

• Felix' FBI top ten most wanted poster at the Wayback Machine (archived February 24, 1999)
• U.S. Department of State rewards page for Ramón Arellano Félix