Border Trouble: How a Cartel's Family Ties Led to a Price-Fixing Scheme

A recent guilty plea in a Houston court revealed a shocking scheme. Carlos Favian Martinez, the son-in-law of a notorious Mexican drug lord, admitted to a complex plan. This plan involved using violence and threats to control the used-car market at the U. S. -Mexico border. The scheme, which lasted for 11 years, started in 2011. It focused on fixing prices and controlling services in Los Indios, Texas. This small town is about 20 miles northwest of Brownsville. Thousands of migrants pass through this area each year. They buy used vehicles in the U. S. and drive them back to Central America. The indictment and court testimony highlighted the brutal tactics used. These included beatings, kidnappings, and even fatal shootings. The aim was to enforce compliance with the extortion tax. Martinez's connection to Osiel Cárdenas Guillén, a former Gulf Cartel drug lord, was discussed during a detention hearing in July 2023. A federal agent revealed that Martinez spoke about his relationships in Matamoros and Reynosa during a kidnapping. The agent also mentioned that Martinez was married to the daughter of the drug lord, Guillén. Guillén, a 57-year-old native of Matamoros, Mexico, started a violent brand of cartel violence. This led to the formation of the Zetas. Martinez's plea agreement outlined an 11-year imprisonment term. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for May. "After two years of litigation, we were able to arrive at a mutual agreement that calls for a sentence of eleven years, " said Kent A. Schaffer, an attorney representing Martinez. Martinez has been incarcerated since his arrest over two years ago. He sees this resolution as a way to get back home as soon as possible. Martinez's father-in-law, Osiel Cárdenas Guillén, was recently sent back to Mexico after serving a portion of his sentence in the U. S. The successful removal of Osiel Cardenas, a notorious international fugitive, underscores our unwavering commitment to public safety and justice, " said Enforcement and Removal Operations Chicago Field Office Director Samuel Olson. The former drug lord is facing drug, organized crime, and money-laundering charges in Mexico. Nicknamed "El Mata Amigos" ("Friend Killer"), he recruited former Mexican special forces soldiers to form his personal guard. The former head of the Gulf cartel was known for his brutality. He created the most bloodthirsty gang of hitmen Mexico has ever known, the Zetas, which routinely slaughtered migrants and innocent people. After his arrest in the northeast border state of Tamaulipas, he was extradited in 2007 to the United States, where he was sentenced in 2010 to 25 years in prison and ordered to pay $50 million. At that time, the Justice Department alleged that Cardenas Guillen threatened to kill a Texas sheriff's deputy who was working as an undercover ICE agent because he refused to deliver almost 1, 000 kilograms of marijuana.