Osiel Cárdenas Guillén (Matamoros, May 18, 1967) is a Mexican drug baron. Cárdenas is the presumed leader of the golf cartel.
Cárdenas began his career as a drug trader in 1985. Three years later, he was arrested on suspicion of murder and fraud, but released a day later. He became a co-worker of Chava Gómez, at that time the leader of the Gulf Cave, and took over the power by killing Gómez. In 1999, he came to the attention of the United States when two American CIA and DEA officers were locked in by Cárdenas men and only managed to remind them that the United States Cárdenas spent the rest of his life his heels would be sitting when they would be killed. Cárdenas is supposedly responsible for the establishment of the Zetas, desertors of the Mexican Army elite units who perform military precision attacks.
Cárdenas was arrested in Matamoros on March 14, 2003 after a serious battle with the army, and was sentenced to imprisonment for, among other things, leading a criminal organization. In January 2007, he was handed over to the United States.
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