“El Cadete”, Cousin of RCQ Arrested at San Ysidro Border Crossing

Sajid Emilio Quintero Navidad, "El Cadete", cousin of Rafael Caro Quintero, was arrested in the United States for drug trafficking and money laundering, the Justice Department has reported. The United States Government considers Quintero Navidad to be one of the highest ranking leaders of a Mexican Drug Cartel to be arrested in the United States.

"EL Cadete" was one of the main partners of Ismael "Mayo" Zambada , current head of the Sinaloa Cartel , but since 2014 Qunitero Navidad has been the head of  the Beltrán Leyva Cartel in Sonora, responsible for the trafficking of drugs in the Sonora-Arizona corridor. Federal Authorities have detected relationships between leaders, lieutenants, and associates involved in money laundering for the criminal groups of Rafael Caro Quintero and the Beltran Leyva Cartel.

Quintero Navidad has been on the radar as a major trafficker for some time. In Aug 2014 the US Dept of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control labeled him a "specially designated narcotics trafficker" ; a Kingpin Act designation that prohibits US citizens and businesses from any financial transactions with him and also freezes any of his finances in the US. 

Quintero Navidad was indicted by a San Diego federal grand jury on Sept. 22, charging him with conspiracy to distribute heroin and cocaine for importation, conspiracy to import the drugs and conspiracy to launder money. A sealed warrant for his arrest was issued the same day.

His arrest is the result of a long and complicated investigation that has been carried out by the DEA,

DHS, and special agents of HSI in Calexico, according to Dave Shaw, Special Agent in charge in San Diego. "It is the culmination of US Federal Agencies in collaboration with State and Local Officials and International Authorities."

In the United States, Quintero Navidad is designated as responsible for coordinating the transport of tons of cocaine from South America, Bolivia and Guatemala through Mexico and controlling important shipping routes through the US.

On October 11, " El Cadete" was arrested at the San Ysidro port of entry and was reportedly arrested with less than one kilo of heroin and five kilos of cocaine; he was jailed immediately without bail, after declaring himself innocent of all charges. That same day, the judge presented all charges in the Southern District of California.  

According to the Department of Justice, these crimes can reach 10 years to life imprisonment and a fine of 10 million dollars.