In a break with judicial procedure in Mexico and the United States drug kingpin Osiel Cárdenas, former head of the Gulf Cartel, was sentenced to 25 years in a secret hearing in Houston this week. He pled guilty to five counts, including drug dealing, money laundering, and attempted murder of federal agents. He also forfeited $50 million in assets.
It is fairly common for a judge to seal a trial for security reasons, but taking such measures for a sentencing hearing is more unusual. Behind locked doors and heavily armed security, the only witnesses were two members of Cárdenas’ family and several federal agents. The hearing was only added to the court’s docket well after sentencing was over.
Justice has been a longtime coming for Mr. Cárdenas. He was arrested in 2003, but continued to direct Gulf activities from his cell in Mexico until 2007, when President Calderón extradited him to the United States along with 14 other narcos.
