Federal grand jury in Chicago indicts suspected Mexican cartel leader

A federal grand jury in Chicago has indicted an accused violent cartel boss on narcoterrorism, drug and firearms charges, the U.S. attorney’s office for the Northern District of Illinois announced Friday.

Oscar Manuel Gastelum Iribe, also known as “El Musico,” is the head of Beltran Leyva Organization, known as BLO, a major importer of fentanyl, cocaine and heroin to Chicago and across the United States. The Beltran Leyva faction of the Sinaloa Cartel is considered a foreign terrorist organization, according to the indictment.

Gastelum Iribe oversaw the importation and continued trafficking of drugs by attacking rivals, military personnel and law enforcement, the indictment alleges.

Gastelum Iribe, 50, was charged with terrorism, drug and firearm offenses. He faces life in prison if convicted. The alleged cartel boss is not in custody, and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.

“Today’s narcoterrorism indictment of El Musico sends a powerful message that this administration is going to aggressively pursue transnational criminal organizations and hold their highest-ranking members and associates accountable for poisoning the American public with illegal and harmful drugs,” said Andrew S. Boutros, United States attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.

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