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Ecoley

Suspected Sinaloa cartel member deported from U.S. to Mexico


    Mexico City, Apr 13 (EFE).- Mexican prosecutors said a close associate of senior Sinaloa cartel figure Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada has been deported by the United States and still has charges pending against him in his homeland.

    Attorney General Jesus Murillo said in a press conference Friday that Javier Torres Felix faces "a large number" of charges in Mexican courts dating back "quite a long time" and will be held for trial, although he did not give specifics.

    Torres Felix was arrested in 2004 in Culiacan, capital of the northwestern state of Sinaloa, during a clash with army soldiers. He was jailed in Mexico City until being extradited on Nov. 29, 2006, to the United States, where he was wanted on drug charges.

    Murillo said authorities have not yet determined what position Torres Felix held within the Sinaloa cartel, a powerful drug-trafficking organization headed by Joaquin "El Chapo" (Shorty) Guzman, Mexico's most-wanted fugitive.

    While in custody in the United States, the Mexican and U.S. press speculated that Torres Felix may have been a federally protected witness, although there has been no official confirmation of that.