Sentence of Javier Arellano Félix reduced to 23 years

The United States reduced the life in prison sentence of one of the bloodiest drug traffickers in Mexico, Francisco Javier Arellano Félix, to 23 years because he provided crucial information to the U.S. government that has led to prosecutions in the U.S. and Mexico, according to federal court records.

The record containing such information, held by El Universal and signed by federal Judge Larry Alan Burns, explains that since 2008 the defense of Arellano filed a motion asking for the reduction of his sentence. 

In 2014, federal prosecutors finally asked Burns to grant the request and lower Arellano's sentence. 

Last week, Burns said prosecutors had outlined Arellano's "extensive post-sentencing cooperation," providing information on both cartel figures and the public officials who worked with them on both sides of the border. 

Francisco Javier Arellano Felix belonged since 1991 to the Arellano Félix Cartel, led by his brothers Benjamín and Ramón, who smuggled hundreds of tons of cocaine and marijuana into the United States, despite this, the government reduced his sentence and he could be released in two decades.