CRIME
Drug lord accused of running cartel from jail moved to secret location
05:24 PM CDT on Wednesday, August 13, 2008
HOUSTON -- A Mexican national accused of leading one of the biggest and most violent drug cartels in the world, will soon stand trial in Houston.
Oziel Cardenas-Guillen was allegedly the kingpin of the Gulf Cartel, which was moving more than four tons of cocaine into the United States every week, according to authorities.
Even though Cardenas-Guillen was kept in solitary confinement in the federal detention center in Houston, authorities said he was still running his drug business from behind bars.
11 NEWS
Cardenas-Guillen was captured after a fierce gun battle with the Mexican army on the streets of Matamoros in 2003.
Officials with the Federal Bureau of Prisons called Wednesday to say he had been moved to a top secret location.
Cardenas-Guillen was captured after a fierce gun battle between his forces and the Mexican army on the streets of Matamoros, Mexico in 2003.
He was indicted on drug charges and for the attempted murders of both DEA and FBI agents. The Mexican drug lord was then brought to Houston under a veil of secrecy.
Once here, Cardenas-Guillen hired prominent defense attorneys Chip Lewis and Mike Ramsey. They are the same lawyers who represented former Enron CEO Ken Lay and accused killer Robert Durst.
Court records show that Guillen's trial was to have started law fall, but it has been delayed twice. Lewis and Ramsey recently asked for another nine month continuance, so they could translate court documents.
Federal judge Hilda Tagle turned down their request and insisted that both sides be ready to start picking a jury by Nov. 12.
While Guillen has been in jail, the drug wars along the border towns have grown more violent as drug traffickers battle for the top spot. However, Guillen may still be the top dog in the drug trade, because officials insist he is somehow still able to run his drug empire from behind bars.
Inside KHOU.com
News Your Way: Get KHOU.com headlines
delivered to your favorite RSS reader.
Submit Your Video: Upload your videos and browse others in our video section.
Find Activities: What's happening in your neighborhood? Community Calendar.
Discuss the News: Talk about the latest news, weather and entertainment headlines in our online forums.
Headlines in Your Inbox: Sign up for our e-mail alerts.
More Local Crime News
Popular Stories





You must be logged in to contribute. Log in | Register Now!
You are logged in as screenname | Log Out
You are logged in, but do not have a "screen" name. Create a Screen Name