Suspected kingpin arraigned in U.S.

Arellano Felix pleads not guilty to racketeering, conspiracy charges after arrest at sea.

The Associated Press

Suspected kingpin arraigned in U.S.

WELCOME: U.S. DEA agents escort Francisco Javier Arellano Felix to a vehicle at San Diego's Coast Guard station Thursday.

Drug-gang status

The capture of suspected drug lord Francisco Javier Arellano Felix has "totally devastated" the Tijuana drug cartel, Mexican Attorney General Daniel Cabeza de Vaca said Thursday, disputing the opinion of some experts who said his arrest would not mean much either to the organization or to the larger fight against drug trafficking in Mexico.

Cabeza de Vaca also said Mexico would seek Arellano Felix's extradition to Mexico, but perhaps not until he had been tried and sentenced for crimes in the United States.

U.S. authorities announced Wednesday that they had "taken the head off the snake" with the arrest of Arellano Felix aboard a boat off Mexico's Pacific coast earlier in the week, but analysts said the arrest didn't mean that much because the gang has effectively lost much of its influence over the years, and Arellano Felix was a relatively minor player in the group.

"This is unlikely to dramatically change the distribution of drugs in the United States," said Mexican analyst Jorge Fernandez Menendez.

SAN DIEGO - Drug kingpin suspect Francisco Javier Arellano Felix pleaded not guilty to racketeering and conspiracy charges Thursday after arriving on U.S. soil in a Coast Guard boat and being whisked to a jail under heavy security.

Arellano Felix, wearing shorts and flip-flops, did not speak during the brief hearing. His court-appointed attorney, Leila Morgan, pleaded not guilty on his behalf to racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to import and distribute controlled substances and money laundering.

Arellano Felix, 36, was captured on a sport boat in international waters Monday along with seven other men, including Arturo Villarreal Heredia, who U.S. authorities said was probably his second-in-command.

Arellano Felix was among 11 people charged in 2003 with 10 counts of conspiracy and racketeering. He allegedly conspired to assassinate Roman Catholic Cardinal Juan Jesus Posadas Ocampo in 1993 in Guadalajara, U.S. officials said.

The indictment alleges Arellano Felix, 36, and others moved tons of Colombian cocaine and Mexican marijuana to the United States. The Arellano Felix gang is believed to be responsible for massive border drug tunnels. They are also accused of kidnapping, torturing and killing rivals and bribing Mexican officials. The indictment links Arellano Felix to a 1996 killing in Coronado, near San Diego, and a 1992 shootout at a disco in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The Arellano Felix gang emerged as a drug power in the 1980s in Tijuana.


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