Sergio Villarreal Barragán

Sergio Enrique Villarreal Barragán, a.k.a. El Grande, (b. September 21, 1969), is a former Mexican federal police officer who then worked as a lieutenant for Arturo Beltrán Leyva of the criminal organization called the Beltrán Leyva Cartel. He got his name El Grande ("The Big One") because he is 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m) tall.

Sergio Enrique Villarreal Barragán
Born (1969-09-21) September 21, 1969
Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico
Other names"El Grande",[1][2]
OccupationLeader of the Beltrán Leyva Cartel
Criminal statusExtradited to the United States

Biography

Villarreal Barragán was born in Torreón, Coahuila on September 21, 1969. He began his criminal career as a car thief in the state of Coahuila, and in 1990 at age 20, he was admitted to the Coahuila Judicial Police force.[3][4] Several years later in 1993 , he was admitted to the Federal Police, which was led by the office National Security Commission and was stationed at Nuevo Laredo. Villarreal Barragán was then stationed at Reynosa, Tamaulipas, where he worked until 1996, when he established a business relationship with the Juárez Cartel. Between the years 2007 and 2010, Villarreal Barragán left the Juárez organization to work along with the Gulf Cartel and for Los Zetas, but later incorporated into the Sinaloa Cartel, commanding a criminal cell of the Beltrán Leyva Cartel.[4][5][6]

Beltrán Leyva Cartel

Allegedly, he was hired by the Beltrán Leyva Cartel and by 2007 he rose to the rank of lieutenant for Arturo Beltrán Leyva.[3] Following Arturo's death in December 2009 during a shootout with Marines, infighting broke out for the control of the Beltrán Leyva Cartel. One faction is led by lieutenants Édgar Valdez Villarreal and Gerardo Alvarez-Vazquez, while the other is led by the current cartel leader Héctor Beltrán Leyva and his 'enforcer' lieutenant, Sergio Villarreal Barragán.[7][8][9]

Kingpin Act sanction

On 1 June 2010, the United States Department of the Treasury sanctioned Villarreal Barragán under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (sometimes referred to simply as the "Kingpin Act"), for his involvement in drug trafficking along with four other international criminals.[10] The act prohibited U.S. citizens and companies from doing any kind of business activity with him, and virtually froze all his assets in the U.S.[11]

Bounty and arrest

On September 12, 2010 he was arrested in a raid by Mexican Marines in the central state of Puebla.[12][13] Villarreal has been charged with multiple murders and other crimes. The Mexican government had been offering a $30 million pesos (US$1.7 million) bounty for information leading to Villarreal's capture.[14]

Villarreal Barragán was extradited to the United States on 23 May 2012, and may possibly serve as a "protected witness" for the DEA.[15]

Personal life

Villarreal Barragán is married to Gabriela Benavides Tamez and has a brother named Adolfo Villarreal Barragán.[16]

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See also

References
  1. Miller, Sara (13 September 2010). "Sergio Villarreal Barragan: Capture of "El Grande" helps Mexico's president". The Christian Science Monitor. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2012. name=kinggrande>de la Luz González, María (13 September 2010). "Un". El Universal. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  2. de la Luz González, María (13 September 2010). "Un". El Universal. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  3. "Perfil: ¿Quién es Sergio Villarreal, "El Grande"?". El Economista (in Spanish). 12 September 2012. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  4. Ravelo, Ricardo (5 June 2012). "La extradición de "El Grande", entre mentiras y delaciones". Proceso (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  5. Dávila, Patricia (23 May 2012). "Imputan cuatro cargos a 'El Grande' en Estados Unidos". Proceso (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  6. "Envían a 'El Grande' a EU". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). 24 May 2012. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  7. De la Luz González, María (22 April 2010). "El Indio peleaba cártel a Héctor Beltrán". El Universal (Mexico City) (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 13 November 2012. Retrieved 13 November 2012.
  8. Grayson, George W. (February 2010). "Death of Arturo Beltrán Leyva: What Does it Mean for Mexico's Drug War?". Foreign Policy Research Institute. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  9. Ravelo, Ricardo (1 April 2010). "La vacante sangrienta". Noroeste (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  10. "DESIGNATIONS PURSUANT TO THE FOREIGN NARCOTICS KINGPIN DESIGNATION ACT" (PDF). United States Department of the Treasury. 15 May 2014. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 May 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
  11. "An overview of the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act" (PDF). United States Department of the Treasury. 2009. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 May 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
  12. Castillo, Eduardo E. (16 September 2010). "Mexican marines arrest presumed drug kingpin". The Associated Press. Archived from the original on 16 September 2010. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  13. "Mexico captures another alleged drug kingpin". CNN. 14 September 2010. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  14. Ellingwood, Ken (14 September 2010). "Mexico arrests key suspect in Beltran Leyva cartel". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  15. "Sergio Villarreal 'El Grande' fue extraditado a Estados Unidos". Univision (in Spanish). 23 May 2012. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  16. "Agarran a Sergio Enrique Villarreal Barragán alias El Grande, operador de los Beltrán Leyva". Blog del Narco (in Spanish). 13 September 2010. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
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