A former Chihuahua State police officer has been sentenced to life in prison for his role in the Sinaloa Cartel’s narcotics distribution operations. Arturo Shows Urquidi, aka ‘Chous’, 50, of Juarez, was found guilty of conspiracy to violate the Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organization statute (RICO), conspiracy to possess cocaine and marijuana, conspiracy to import cocaine and marijuana, conspiracy to launder money, and conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes.
The charges stemmed from Urquidi’s involvement with the Sinaloa Cartel under Ismael ‘Mayo’ Zambada-Garcia. Urquidi assisted in the security of stash houses where thousands of kilograms of cocaine were unloaded from tanker trucks and then reloaded with weapons and money headed for Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico. During his involvement with the cartel, the cartel successfully imported thousands of kilograms of cocaine into the United States worth over $1 billion.
Urquidi was convicted on October 22, 2021, after a federal jury in El Paso found him guilty of the above-mentioned charges. U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff stated that investigating and prosecuting members of dangerous transnational criminal organizations remains a top priority of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.
The sentencing of Urquidi is a significant step in holding the members of the Sinaloa Cartel accountable for the crimes they have committed for years. The prosecution of this case clearly demonstrates how strong cooperation between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies can effectively combat the illegal activity of transnational criminal organizations.
Urquidi’s sentencing is not the only consequence for the Sinaloa Cartel. His co-defendant, Mario Iglesias-Villegas, aka ‘Dos’, ‘El 2’, ‘Delta’, ‘Parka’, ‘Grim Reaper’, 36, of Villa Ahumada, was also found guilty of five counts of violent crimes in aid of racketeering activity, one count of conspiracy to kill in a foreign country, and one count of kidnapping. Iglesias is scheduled for sentencing on March 24, 2022.
The Sinaloa Cartel’s criminal activity in the Ciudad Juarez and El Paso area included the violence that occurred during the war between the Juarez Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel, which led to the death of thousands of people in Ciudad Juarez and throughout the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Durango.
The case is a testament to the hard work and dedication of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies that assisted in this multi-year investigation. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Explosives and Firearms (ATF) has made it a priority to target these organizations responsible for transnational gun crime and violence.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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