Judge sets free Gulf Cartel boss

A judge has ordered the release of José Alfredo Cárdenas , “The Accountant”, alleged leader of the Gulf Cartel and nephew of infamous drug lord Osiel Cárdenas, on the grounds of an illegal arrest.

The judge at the Federal Criminal Justice Center of Almoloya, State of Mexico, ordered the alleged cartel boss to be set free given that the report provided by agents of the Ministry of the Navy and evidence presented by the defense attorney had inconsistencies regarding the arrest of Cárdenas.

According to an information notice released by the Federal Judiciary Council, the Navy stated they arrested José Alfredo Cárdenas last Monday in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, after he caught the attention of the authorities for speeding. Agents of the Navy approached the vehicle and then noticed there were firearms in the passenger's seat. During a detailed search of the vehicle, they found more firearms and illegal drugs.

However, the drug lord's defense attorney presented "several" videos in which it can be seen that Navy agents arrested Cárdenas inside his home, not in the streets as they had claimed.

Furthermore, Federal Judiciary Council also mentions that the videos show agents of the Navy taking a vehicle parked inside the estate of Cárdenas – allegedly, the same vehicle the Navy claimed to have stopped for speeding.

Given that the legal procedures for the arrest of the suspect weren't followed accordingly, Judge Saúl Cota ordered the release of Cardenas.

José Alfredo Cárdneas has been identified as the leader of the Gulf Cartel in Matamoros , and behind the smuggling operations of illegal drugs into the United States.

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