TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — An organizer for multiple Mexican drug cartels has pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge for his role in smuggling thousands of kilograms of cocaine from Mexico into the United States.
The United States Attorney's Office in Tampa said Friday that 43-year-old Gabino Peralta-Saucedo of Michoacán, Mexico faces up to life in prison.
Federal prosecutors say more than 12,000 kilograms of cocaine was distributed around Manatee County on behalf of Peralta-Saucedo, also known as Pony. Prosecutors say he smuggled and distributed the drugs on behalf of various Mexican drug cartels, including La Familia Michoacán and Los Caballeros Templarios.
He was arrested in Mexico in 2016 and extradited to the U.S. in September.
