Mexican President Sends ‘Good Wishes’ to Jailed Drug Lord, Discusses Release

Mexico’s president sent friendly greetings to an imprisoned drug lord who has been singled out by the U.S. as the mastermind behind the 1985 murder of DEA Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena. The politician also said he is not opposed to releasing him from jail.

The powerful statements came during a morning news conference by Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopes Obrador where he spoke on the case of jailed Guadalajara Cartel Kingpin Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo also known as El Jefe de Jefes or the Boss of Bosses. The jailed drug lord once led the Guadalajara Cartel and recently granted a jailhouse interview to Telemundo. During that interview, a wheelchair-bound Felix Gallardo sent his support and blessings to Lopez Obrador.

El presidente López Obrador agradeció los buenos deseos de Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, “El Jefe de jefes”, reconocido exnarcotraficante mexicano.

Señala que, si se justifica, se le podría otorgar amnistía por edad y por enfermedad.

Más en: https://t.co/HPzvqjGz87 pic.twitter.com/s9RGJcfert

— Joaquín López-Dóriga (@lopezdoriga) August 20, 2021

“I thank him very much for his good wishes and I want him to understand my situation,” Lopez Obrador said. “I don’t want anyone to suffer, I don’t want anyone to be in jail.”

Lopez Obrador said that if Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office determined that he had no pending cases, he would be in favor of releasing Felix Gallardo due to his age and him having already spent time in prison. During the statement, Lopez Obrador did not make any mention of having the drug lord extradited to the U.S. to face prosecution for Camarena’s murder.

During the interview with Telemundo, the once-powerful drug lord denied having been a kingpin and claimed that he had spent 32 years in prison for crimes he did not commit. Felix Gallardo also claimed that he did not know why he is related to the case of Camarena, claiming that he never met the agent or had any connection to the leadership of the Guadalajara Cartel.

Felix Gallardo along with Rafael Caro Quintero are two of the living leaders of the Guadalajara Cartel and are believed to be the masterminds behind the kidnapping, torture, and murder of Camarena. As Breitbart Texas reported, a Mexican federal judge released Caro Quintero in 2013 in a sudden move before the U.S. government could extradite him. Since then the drug lord claimed that he wanted to retire but has since become one of the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com. 

Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.