Lucio R. Borderland Beat from AP and The U.S. Department of Treasury
![]()
![]()
![]()
Mexico says it's extradited two drug trafficking suspects to the United States, one of them believed to be a major cocaine distributor for the Sinaloa Cartel.
Sunday's statement by the Attorney General's Office identifies them as Cesar Gastelum Serrano and Pedro Alejandro Rubio Perez.
Gastelum Serrano was arrested in April in the resort of Cancun. The U.S. Treasury Department placed him on its drug kingpin list in December, calling him "one of the most prolific cocaine suppliers for Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel."
The department's Office of Foreign Assets Control said he headed "a vast criminal network to lead a cocaine trafficking organization capable of moving tons of cocaine per week through Honduras and Guatemala to Mexico."
From the Department of Treasury from last Decenber
WASHINGTON– The U.S. Department of the Treasury today designated Cesar Gastelum Serrano, a Mexican national who is a prolific cocaine supplier to Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, as a Specially Designated Narcotics Trafficker pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act). The Treasury Department also today designated three of Cesar Gastelum Serrano’s brothers: Alfredo, Jaime, and Guadalupe Candelario Gastelum Serrano. As a result of today’s action, all assets of those designated that are based in the United States or in the control of U.S. persons are frozen, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them.
“With support from his brothers, Cesar Gastelum Serrano has been able to establish himself as one of the most prolific cocaine suppliers for Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel,” OFAC Director Adam J. Szubin said. “By designating Gastelum and several of his key allies, we are once again disrupting the illicit activities of this violent drug cartel.”
Cesar Gastelum Serrano uses a vast criminal network to lead a cocaine trafficking organization capable of moving tons of cocaine per week through Honduras and Guatemala to Mexico. Cesar Gastelum Serrano is a prominent distributor of cocaine in Central America for Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, which was identified by the United States in 2009 as a significant foreign narcotics trafficker pursuant to the Kingpin Act.
Cesar Gastelum Serrano’s three brothers are being designated for providing direct support to his drug trafficking activities through their multi-country cocaine distribution network. With the help of these brothers, Cesar Gastelum Serrano can move large quantities of cocaine by air, land, and sea across South, Central, and North America.
Today’s action was taken in close coordination with the Drug Enforcement Administration and the government of Mexico.
Since June 2000, more than 1,700 entities and individuals have been named pursuant to the Kingpin Act for their role in international narcotics trafficking. Penalties for violations of the Kingpin Act range from civil penalties of up to $1.075 million per violation to more severe criminal penalties. Criminal penalties for corporate officers may include up to 30 years in prison and fines up to $5 million. Criminal fines for corporations may reach $10 million. Other individuals could face up to 10 years in prison and fines pursuant to Title 18 of the United States Code for criminal violations of the Kingpin Act.