Javier Torres Félix

Javier Torres Félix (born 19 October 1960) is an imprisoned Mexican drug lord and former high-ranking leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, a drug trafficking organization.

He is the brother of the deceased drug lord Manuel Torres Félix and the former right-hand man of Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, a top cartel leader.

Javier Torres Félix was born in Cosalá, Sinaloa, Mexico on 19 October 1960.

In 1984, he was arrested in Sinaloa and imprisoned for kidnapping his girlfriend, but he was released months after that.

Born in the state of Sinaloa, Torres Félix entered the drug trade in 1990 under the tutelage of the late Juan Manuel Salcido Uzeta (alias "El Cochiloco"), a Sinaloa Cartel drug trafficker.

Six years later in 1990, Torres Félix entered the drug trade under the tutelage of the drug lord Juan Manuel Salcido Uzeta (alias "El Cochiloco"), a high-ranking Sinaloa Cartel leader who was killed that same year.

In June 1990, he was arrested again by the Mexican Army in Mazatlán while in possession of 4 AK-47s and with over 800 kg of marijuana.

He was released from prison a year later.

When his boss was killed, he began to work for Zambada in 1992 and became one of his most trusted associates.

He started working for Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada in 1992, and was thereby placed in the most-wanted list of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

While in California in 1992, he was arrested for drug trafficking but obtained his release five years later and returned to Mexico to continue to work for the Sinaloa Cartel.

In Quintana Roo in May 1997, Torres Félix was arrested once again while in possession of 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of cocaine but was released in 1998.

In 2001, gunmen of the Tijuana Cartel attempted to kill Torres Félix but they were ultimately unsuccessful.

When they failed to find his whereabouts, the gunmen responded by killing 12 villagers at a ranch known as El Cajoncito in his hometown.

According to reports by the Procuraduría General de la República (PGR), gunmen of the Tijuana Cartel attempted to kill Torres Félix and his brother Manuel on 14 February 2001 at El Limoncito de Alayá, a ranch in the municipality of Cosalá, Sinaloa.

After failing to find both of them, the gunmen sought revenge by killing twelve villagers from the area.

Reportedly, the Tijuana Cartel leader Ramón Arellano Félix ordered the attack after a dispute over drug shipments.

Later that year in October, Torres Félix and "El Mayo" Zambada avoided capture from the Mexican Army and the PGR.

That indictment specifically stated that from August 2001 to June 2002, his criminal organization provided 1,003 kilograms of cocaine to the New York–New Jersey area (with an estimated value of US$17 million); 1,770 kilograms of cocaine to the Chicago area (with an estimated value of US$30 million); 23 kilograms of cocaine to the state of California (with an estimated value of US$391,000).

In the District of Columbia and the Los Angeles area, several other indictments were filed against Torres Félix for his involvement in drug trafficking and money distribution on behalf of the cartel.

The Los Angeles indictment charged the drug lord with importing and distributing 5 kilograms of cocaine, and distributing millions of dollars to finance criminal distribution cells in the city.

By then, the U.S. government had identified Torres Félix as one of the top lieutenants of "El Mayo" Zambada and as a leading distributor of multi-ton shipments of narcotics.

In July 2003, the United States Department of Justice indicted "El Mayo" Zambada, Vicente Zambada Niebla, and Torres Félix for conspiracy to traffic and distribute cocaine to the United States from Mexico.

He was arrested by the Mexican Army Special Forces in Culiacán in January 2004.

On the morning of 27 January 2004, a commando of the Grupo Aeromóvil de Fuerzas Especiales (GAFE), the Mexican Army Special Forces, intercepted Torres Félix at a rural community known as La Tula, just outside the city of Culiacán, Sinaloa.

To avoid the capture of their boss, at least 30 of Torres Félix's gunmen confronted the GAFE soldiers as the drug lord fled to one of his many safe houses in Culiacán.

But Torres Félix was later arrested at Colinas de San Miguel neighborhood in Culiacán.

That same afternoon, the Army transferred the drug lord to Mexico City and handed him over to the PGR.

Prior to his arrest, Torres Félix was widely regarded as one of the top leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, and the right-hand man of "El Mayo" Zambada.

He operated in the southern parts of Sinaloa and oversaw drug trafficking shipments through Baja California Sur and the United States.

Following the arrest, his brother Manuel Torres Félix took his position in the cartel and became one of the most trusted men of El Mayo Zambada.

Torres Félix was imprisoned at Reclusorio Norte in Mexico City at around 10:00 a.m. on 28 January 2004 under solitary confinement.

He was kept under tight security and was supervised 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Though initially planned to be transferred to a maximum security prison like Federal Social Readaptation Center No. 1 (also known as "La Palma") due to his criminal profile and importance, Torres Félix was kept in Reclusorio Norte for most of his prison time in Mexico.

The U.S. government, however, received intelligence reports that said that Torres Félix had reportedly paid a 1.2 million dollar bribe to escape from prison on 25 December 2004.

He was later extradited to the United States in late 2006, facing charges on drug trafficking.

Having completed his sentence, Torres Félix was released and deported back to Mexico.

On 17 May 2007, the United States Department of the Treasury sanctioned Torres Félix under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (sometimes referred to simply as the "Kingpin Act"), for his involvement in drug trafficking along with eleven other international criminals and six foreign entities.

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.

As he crossed the international border, the Mexican authorities arrested him in April 2013 for pending charges on organized crime, homicide, and illegal use of firearms.