Ex-Mexican cartel leader ‘Friend Killer’ released from US prison

( NewsNation ) — One of Mexico’s most-feared drug lords was released from a U.S. prison after serving more than half of a 25-year prison sentence.

On Friday, Osiel Cárdenas Guillén was placed in the custody of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an official from the U.S. Bureau of Prisons confirmed, which would normally suggest he’d be deported back to Mexico.

The Biden administration planned to transfer Cardenas Guillen to Mexico, an anonymous U.S. official told NBC News last week.

Cárdenas Guillén, also known as “El Mata Amigos,” or “The one who kills his friends,” was the former head of the Gulf cartel . The 57-year-old native of Matamoros, Mexico, was known for his brutality, and he created the most bloodthirsty gang of hitmen Mexico has ever known, the Zetas.

He was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2010 and ordered to forfeit tens of millions of dollars. It’s unclear why he didn’t serve his full sentence, but he was extradited to the U.S. in January 2007.

His most brazen act was when he surrounded and stopped a vehicle carrying two U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents and one of their informants in 1999 in the border city of Matamoros, across from Brownsville, Texas.

His gunmen pointed their weapons at the agents and demanded they hand over the informant, who would almost certainly be tortured and killed. The agents toughed it out and refused, reminding him it would be a bad decision to kill employees of the DEA. Cárdenas Guillén eventually called off his gunmen, but not before reportedly saying “You gringos, this is my territory.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NewsNation.