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Miguel áNgel FÉLix Gallardo

What is miguel ángel félix gallardo?

· Sarah Mitchell

Key facts

Birth date 8 January 1946[4]
Birth place Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico[4]
Role Founder of the Guadalajara Cartel[4]
Nickname El Padrino[4]
Arrest date 8 April 1989[3]
Sentence 40 years in prison[5]

Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo is a Mexican former drug trafficker and founder of the Guadalajara Cartel, known as El Padrino. He was arrested in 1989 and sentenced for drug trafficking and murder, including the killing of DEA agent Enrique Camarena. Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo remains a key figure in cartel history.

Context

Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, born 8 January 1946 in Culiacán, Sinaloa, is a Mexican former drug trafficker and founder of the Guadalajara Cartel [4]. He was arrested on 8 April 1989 [3] and sentenced to 40 years in prison for drug trafficking and first-degree murder [5]. He was convicted in connection with the 1985 killing of DEA agent Enrique 'Kiki' Camarena [2]. Sources differ on the founding date of the cartel, with one saying the late 1970s and another the 1980s [1].

Documented claims

  • He was convicted in connection with the 1985 killing of DEA agent Enrique 'Kiki' Camarena. [2]
  • He controlled much of the drug trafficking in Mexico and routes toward the United States in the 1980s. [4]
  • One source says he founded the Guadalajara Cartel at the end of the 1970s; another says in the 1980s. [1]

Questions and answers

Where is Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo currently?

He is serving a 40-year prison sentence in Mexico [5].

Did El Chapo work for Miguel Félix Gallardo?

The sources do not state that El Chapo worked for Gallardo.

Why did Felix betray Rafa?

The sources do not mention any betrayal of Rafa.

Who took over Félix Gallardo?

The sources do not state who took over after Gallardo.

Sources

  1. Mexique: Le «chef des chefs» des narcos libéré — lematin.ch (retrieved August 3, 2026)
  2. La véritable histoire de Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, le redoutable baron de la drogue de « Narcos : Mexico » — vanityfair.fr (retrieved August 3, 2026)
  3. The 'godfather' of Mexico's cartels has been sentenced for killing of a DEA agent — businessinsider.com (retrieved August 3, 2026)
  4. Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo — imdb.com (retrieved August 3, 2026)
  5. Mexican cartel 'boss of bosses' denies any criminal past | U.S. — english.elpais.com (retrieved August 3, 2026)

Sources last checked August 3, 2026. · More in People