AF Medios reports Félix Gallardo’s death at 80
By Cartel Insider Wire Desk · Edited by Mica Treviño
Original reporting: AF Medios
What happened
AF Medios reports that Jalisco prison authorities confirmed the Guadalajara Cartel founder’s death after two days in hospital; respiratory failure was the suspected cause.
Reporting and context
Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, a founder of the Guadalajara Cartel known as “El Jefe de Jefes,” died at age 80 on Sunday after two days in a private Guadalajara hospital, according to AF Medios. The outlet described respiratory failure as the suspected cause.
AF Medios reported that prison authorities at Jalisco’s Security Secretariat confirmed the death after medical staff notified them at about 2:30 p.m. Félix Gallardo had been transferred from the Puente Grande prison complex to Hospital Country 2000 for emergency treatment after his health worsened.
The report said he had colon cancer and kidney failure, had lost sight in one eye and had hearing difficulties. Medical personnel at the prison complex authorized the hospital transfer because of those complications, and he remained under specialist care until his death.
Félix Gallardo was a central figure in Mexican drug trafficking during the 1980s. He founded the Guadalajara Cartel alongside Rafael Caro Quintero and Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo, known as “Don Neto.” According to the outlet, the organization developed a major role in trafficking drugs to the United States before the arrests of its leaders weakened and fragmented it.
At the time of publication, the report said his body was expected to be transferred to a funeral home so relatives could proceed with legal and funeral arrangements.
Original reporting: AF Medios.