Gulf Cartel Leaders Plead Guilty to Drug Charges
This week, the top two leaders of the Gulf Cartel entered guilty pleas to federal drug conspiracy charges as part of plea agreements with prosecutors. One of these leaders, known as Baquero, recently became a focal point since he was sent to the U.S. by the Mexican government in early 2025, following increased pressure from the Trump administration on Mexico to combat drug cartels more aggressively.
The Gulf Cartel is one of six Mexican criminal organizations designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the U.S. government.
On Tuesday afternoon, Baquero appeared before U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez and pleaded guilty to drug trafficking conspiracy. However, despite this plea deal, Cruz-Sanchez faces a lengthy prison sentence—between 10 years and life—for his leadership role within the cartel.
The case involves significant amounts of cocaine, meth, and fentanyl that the Gulf Cartel smuggled into Texas, primarily through the city of Brownsville.
The indictment identifies key leaders of the Gulf Cartel from 2015 to 2021, naming Jose Alfredo “El Contador” Cárdenas Martinez, Cruz Sánchez, and Ricardo “Bileton” Cortés Mateos. Baquero himself was arrested in 2021, while El Contador is currently incarcerated in Mexico but reportedly still oversees operations from within prison.
Texas court documents indicate that Contador directed his organization using vaqueros and billetons during his leadership years.
In 2021, photos of El Baquero’s arrest in Nuevo Leon were made exclusive by Breitbart Texas. At the time, he was identified as working for the Matamoros Police Department.
While in charge, Baquero was said to contribute to a climate of fear across northern Tamaulipas, where his faction fought a brutal turf war with another in Reynosa known as Los Metros. This conflict saw both sides using armored trucks and a large number of armed personnel, leading to numerous kidnappings and murders of individuals, many of whom were completely innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire.
