The Costa Rica News (TCRN) – Celaya Rafael Humberto Valenzuela, member of the Sinaloa cartel, led by the arrested Mexican drug lord “El Chapo” Guzman, plead guilty in the United States for the crime of drug trafficking, which could result in life in prison.
The Justice Department said in a statement that Celaya Valenzuela, 41, acknowledged before the trial that he admitted to distributing cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine in the United States.
In the initial phase of the process, charges were pressed against Manuel Gutiérrez Guzmán, the cousin of “El Chapo” Guzman, and two other members of one of the most dangerous cartels in Mexico, Samuel Zazueta Valenzuela and Jesus Soto Palazuelos.
They were arrested by Spanish police in Madrid in August 2012, one month after delivering 346 kilos of cocaine to the port of Algeciras (southern Spain).
Authorities seized the cocaine which was hidden in boxes for the transport of glassware, and the drug traffickers were extradited to New Hampshire, where they are now facing trial.
They were part of the Sinaloa cartel led by the famous Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman drug trafficker who, until his arrest in February 2012, was the most wanted man in Mexico and the United States.
According to prosecutors, research that led to the arrest of the “El Chapo” gang began when members of the FBI discovered that the cartel was looking for new routes to distribute cocaine from South America to Europe, Canada and the United States.
The agents seized the opportunity and posed as members of a European drug ring. From 2010 until August 2012, undercover FBI agents recorded video and audio of various meetings.
On the tapes, Celaya Valenzuela and several of his henchmen can be seen in meetings in Miami, Boston, Madrid, Portsmouth, and Newcastle.
In these negotiations, members of the Sinaloa cartel offered to hide thousands of kilograms of cocaine in shipping containers for delivery to various ports in Europe and the northeast coast of the United States.
The arrangement was settled in a face-to-face meeting with “El Chapo”, while the details of the deal were discussed.
Celaya Valenzuela has to wait for his hearing on January 22 to learn his fate.
Manuel Gutiérrez Guzmán and Samuel Zazueta Valenzuela will also face judgments on December 22 and January 15. (Crhoy)
The Costa Rica News (TCRN)
San Jose, Costa Rica