In a federal courtroom today, Edgar Herrera Pardo, also known as Caiman, faced the music for his role in a violent drug trafficking operation. The enforcer for the notorious Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) was sentenced to 28 years in prison, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California. Herrera Pardo had previously admitted to his part in the cartel's operations, notably ordering the assassination of a police officer in Tijuana and abducting enemies of CJNG.
Los Cabos, the faction led by Herrera Pardo, emerged as one of the primary enforcers for CJNG in Baja California. Providing Herrera Pardo with an AR-15, he instructed a co-conspirator to ensure there would be "a dead (body) in the Segunda (street)" on September 9, 2018. As a result of their notorious acts, President Trump's Executive Order 14157 designated CJNG as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, per the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Gordon, the U.S. Attorney, emphasized the severity of Herrera Pardo's crimes: "This cartel sicario ordered brutal killings to instill terror and crush opposition." According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Brian Clark, DEA Special Agent in Charge, echoed this sentiment, affirming that "those who use violence and fear to advance the deadly operations of drug cartels will be held accountable." The courts targeted Herrera for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances for the purpose of unlawful importation, which carries a hefty mandatory minimum of 10 years and potentially life in prison.
