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Osiel Cárdenas Guillén, considered to be one of Mexico's most-feared drug lords, has been released early from a U.S. prison and placed in the custody of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Bureau of Prisons official Cárdenas Guillén confirmed to the Associated Press on Friday (August 30).
Guillén, 57, the former head of the Gulf cartel, had served most of his 25-year prison sentence at the time of his release. The decision to place him in ICE custody typically suggests he will be deported back to Mexico, where he reportedly faces two arrest warrants, meaning he'll likely be re-arrested upon arrival, a Mexican official who was not authorized to be quoted by name told the AP.
Guillén launched the notorious gang of hitmen known as the Zetas, who routinely slaughtered migrants and innocent people, before being sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2010 and ordered to forfeit tens of millions of dollars. Authorities didn't specify why the 57-year-old, who was extradited to the U.S. in January 2007, was released prior to the completion of his sentence.
Guillén was reported to have moved tons of cocaine and made millions through the Gulf cartel, which worked out of the border cities of Reynosa and his native Matamoros.