Major Sinaloa Cartel Trafficker Sentenced to Nearly 20 Years for Leading International Cocaine Conspiracy

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Posted by Admin on 2025-06-10 09:00:09 |

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Jorge Humberto Perez Cazares, also known by the alias “Cadete,” a 41-year-old Mexican national from Sinaloa, has been sentenced to 232 months (nearly 20 years) in a U.S. federal prison for leading a major international drug trafficking conspiracy. Cazares was a top-level operative in a transnational criminal organization that transported multiple tons of cocaine from Central America into Mexico, with the narcotics ultimately destined for Los Angeles and other parts of the United States. His operations were closely tied to the infamous Sinaloa Cartel, and he relied on violence and intimidation to protect his trafficking routes and maintain control over the supply chain.

The Department of Justice emphasized the significance of the sentencing, with officials noting that Perez Cazares was not a mere courier or middleman but a central figure orchestrating high-value narcotics deals. Acting DEA Administrator Robert Murphy stated that Perez Cazares was responsible for funneling large amounts of cocaine into the U.S. and profiting from widespread addiction. According to court records, in 2014, U.S. law enforcement raided three of his stash houses in Los Angeles, seizing over $1.4 million in cash and more than 70 kilograms of cocaine. Around the same time, Cazares attempted to finalize a drug deal in Guatemala worth over $23 million in cocaine. He was caught shortly thereafter while transporting 514 kilograms of cocaine in a truck and was arrested by Guatemalan authorities.

Following this arrest, Perez Cazares was detained again in Mexico in 2016 based on a U.S. provisional arrest warrant and was extradited to the United States in July 2021. In April 2024, just before his trial, he pleaded guilty to a single charge of conspiracy to import five kilograms or more of cocaine into the country.

This prosecution was part of Operation Take Back America, a broad initiative led by the U.S. Department of Justice aimed at eliminating transnational criminal organizations and protecting communities from drug-fueled violence. The operation combined resources from several federal programs, including the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces. The FBI, DEA, and U.S. Marshals Service, along with Guatemalan law enforcement and the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, played key roles in tracking, arresting, and bringing Perez Cazares to justice.

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