Edgar Valdez Villarreal - Charges and Allegations

Charges and Allegations

The Mexican police had been searching for Valdez since his 2002 indictment on two counts of conspiracy with the intent to distribute marijuana. In their investigation, police raided homes he has rented, locating grenades, automatic weapons and police uniforms. In May 2009, the Mexican authorities listed him as one of their 24 most wanted drug traffickers, and posted a $30 million pesos ($2.3 million USD) reward for information leading to his capture.

Valdez pleaded innocent, taking out ads in the local Monterrey newspaper, El Norte, describing himself as: "a legitimate businessman who had been forced to leave Nuevo Laredo and move to the neighboring state of Coahuila because he was being harassed for bribes by local police officers."

In June 2010, Valdez was indicted in a U.S. court on charges of trafficking thousands of kilograms of cocaine from Mexico into the United States between 2004 and 2006. Mexican officials claim that Valdez introduced to the U.S. about one ton of cocaine per month. In 2009, the Justice Department posted a $2 million reward for information leading to his capture.