Borderland Beat
After reaching an agreement with U.S. authorities to plead guilty to charges of money laundering, conspiracy to use illegal profits of organized crime in May, Eduardo Arellano Félix, El Doctor, was sentenced today in Federal Court in San Diego to 15 years in prison.
With the sentencing in U.S. District Court in San Diego, Arellano Felix, 56, became the last of four brothers killed or sent to prison in connection with the Arellano Felix drug trafficking ring, federal prosecutors said.
"The three living Arellano Felix brothers, who for decades lived as multi-millionaires while terrorizing the Southwest border, ordering assassinations and corrupting countless public officials are now confined to maximum security prison cells for a very long time. I urge others who aspire to take their place to take note," U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy said.
Arellano Felix had faced a maximum of 140 years if convicted of the charges brought against him in the original indictment that included racketeering and conspiracy to distribute and import marijuana and cocaine to the United States, although federal sentencing guidelines typically allow for less time. The indictment described him as a senior adviser to his brother Benjamin.
"The sentence that Eduardo Arellano Felix received today marks the end of an era in cartel history. The AFO is finished, others have moved in and are attempting to take their place," William Sherman, special agent in charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in San Diego, said in a statement.
After reaching an agreement with U.S. authorities to plead guilty to charges of money laundering, conspiracy to use illegal profits of organized crime in May, Eduardo Arellano Félix, El Doctor, was sentenced today in Federal Court in San Diego to 15 years in prison.
With the sentencing in U.S. District Court in San Diego, Arellano Felix, 56, became the last of four brothers killed or sent to prison in connection with the Arellano Felix drug trafficking ring, federal prosecutors said.
Arellano Felix had faced a maximum of 140 years if convicted of the charges brought against him in the original indictment that included racketeering and conspiracy to distribute and import marijuana and cocaine to the United States, although federal sentencing guidelines typically allow for less time. The indictment described him as a senior adviser to his brother Benjamin.
"The sentence that Eduardo Arellano Felix received today marks the end of an era in cartel history. The AFO is finished, others have moved in and are attempting to take their place," William Sherman, special agent in charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in San Diego, said in a statement.
