Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, founder of Guadalajara Cartel, dies at 80 in Mexico

Death and hospitalization

Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, known as 'El Jefe de Jefes,' died at 80 years old, according to N+ Univision. The outlet reported that the cause, place, and time of his death had not been disclosed.

Félix Gallardo had been hospitalized on November 13, according to N+ Univision. Infobae reported that he was transferred from the Puente Grande prison in Jalisco to a private hospital two days before his death, after showing health problems including oxygenation and orientation issues.

Criminal history

Félix Gallardo was one of the founders of the Guadalajara Cartel, which N+ Univision described as controlling for a time all illegal drug trafficking from Mexico to the United States. He shared leadership of the cartel with Rafael Caro Quintero and Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo, and was for a time an associate of Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán, Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada, and Ignacio 'Nacho' Coronel, according to N+ Univision.

Authorities began seeking him in the 1980s after his links extended to Colombian organizations and drugs crossed into U.S. territory. The deaths of DEA agent Enrique Camarena Salazar and Mexican pilot Alfredo Zavala Avelar on February 9, 1985, led to an international search, N+ Univision reported.

Mexican authorities detained him in Guadalajara, Jalisco, in 1989. He was sentenced to 37 years in prison for the death of Camarena Salazar, and received an independent sentence of 40 years for weapons possession, bribery, drug trafficking, and health crimes, according to N+ Univision. Yahoo, citing AFP, reported that he served two sentences totaling 77 years.

After his capture, the Guadalajara Cartel fragmented and the Tijuana and Sinaloa cartels emerged, N+ Univision reported.

Imprisonment and health

He was held at Cefereso number 1, El Altiplano, in Almoloya, Estado de México, and later transferred to the Centro Federal de Rehabilitación Psicosocial in Morelos. He arrived at Puente Grande prison in Jalisco on May 29, 2017, N+ Univision reported.

After 33 years in federal prisons, he obtained house arrest in September 2022, but the Fiscalía General de la República appealed the judge's decision, according to N+ Univision. Yahoo reported that a judge recommended house arrest, but technical problems with electronic monitoring prevented the transfer. His health deteriorated in recent years, with conditions including hypertension, diabetes, and deafness, according to Yahoo.

Why it matters

Félix Gallardo's death closes a chapter on one of the founders of Mexico's first major criminal organization. The Guadalajara Cartel's fragmentation after his 1989 arrest gave rise to the Tijuana and Sinaloa cartels, shaping the structure of Mexican drug trafficking for decades. His case also remains tied to the 1985 killing of DEA agent Enrique Camarena Salazar, which triggered sustained pressure from Washington on Mexico to capture those responsible.

Sources

• univision.com: Muere a los 80 años el líder criminal Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, conocido como 'El Jefe de Jefes' | N+ Univision América Latina | Univision
• es-us.noticias.yahoo.com: Trasladan a un hospital a un capo del narco preso en México - Yahoo Noticias
• infobae.com: EN VIVO| Seguridad, narcotráfico y crimen en México hoy 15 de noviembre: muere Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, fundador del Cártel de Guadalajara, a los 80 años en Jalisco - Infobae

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.