Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo: The Rise and Fall of the ‘Godfather’ of the Mexican Guadalajara Cartel
Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo is a name deeply entwined with the history of the Mexican drug cartels. Known as “El Padrino” (The Godfather), he was the founder of what would become the first large-scale Mexican Guadalajara Cartel. Félix Gallardo’s influence extended far beyond Mexico’s borders, and his legacy lives on in the power structures of the Mexican drug world today. In this blog, we look at his life, his role in the rise of organized drug trafficking, and how his arrest ultimately led to the chaotic and violent cartel warfare that plagues Mexico today.
Early Years and Rise in Crime
Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo was born in 1946 in Culiacán, the capital of the Mexican state of Sinaloa. This state, which would become known as one of the epicenters of drug trafficking, provided the perfect breeding ground for Gallardo’s later career. Félix Gallardo began his career as a police officer in Sinaloa, where he made connections with influential people, including corrupt politicians and police officials. Working in law enforcement, he learned the ropes and built a network that would later prove invaluable.
In the 1970s, Félix Gallardo became fully involved in drug trafficking. Mexico was becoming a major transit route for Colombian cocaine to the United States, and Gallardo saw an opportunity. He initially worked with some of the drug traffickers of the time, but he soon took control and built a criminal empire.
The Guadalajara Cartel
Félix Gallardo is best known as the founder of the Guadalajara Cartel, which grew into one of the most powerful criminal organizations in Latin America in the 1980s. This cartel was the first Mexican cartel to organize drug trafficking on such a scale. Félix Gallardo was a master strategist and was able to unite several smaller criminal groups under one umbrella, earning him the nickname “El Padrino”.
The Guadalajara Cartel was innovative in its approach. Instead of competing directly with the powerful Colombian cartels, such as the Medellín and Cali Cartel, Félix Gallardo made deals with them. He offered to smuggle their cocaine through Mexico into the United States in exchange for a cut of the profits. This was a strategic move that made Mexico indispensable in the drug trade and propelled the country to the forefront of the international criminal world.
Félix Gallardo used his network of corrupt officials and law enforcement officers to protect and expand his operations. Under his leadership, the Guadalajara Cartel became responsible for smuggling tons of cocaine and marijuana into the United States.
The Murder of Enrique “Kiki” Camarena
A turning point in the life of Félix Gallardo, and in the Mexican drug trade in general, was the 1985 murder of DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena. Camarena was a U.S. agent working undercover within the Guadalajara Cartel. His information led to a major blow to the cartel, including the destruction of a massive marijuana plantation worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
In an act of revenge, Camarena was kidnapped, tortured and murdered by members of the Guadalajara Cartel, presumably on the orders of Félix Gallardo. This event provoked an unprecedented response from the US government, which put Mexican authorities under heavy pressure to track down and prosecute the perpetrators. Camarena’s murder was a turning point: the US began an intensive war against the Mexican cartels, and the pressure on Félix Gallardo quickly increased.
The Fall of Felix Gallardo
Although Félix Gallardo remained elusive for years, his arrest finally came in 1989. Mexican authorities, under pressure from the US, managed to capture him while he was hiding in a luxury home in Guadalajara. He was convicted of multiple crimes, including the murder of Camarena, and was given a long prison sentence.
However, his arrest did not lead to the end of drug trafficking in Mexico. Instead, it marked the beginning of a new era: the fragmentation of the Guadalajara Cartel into several smaller cartels. This led to the rise of notorious cartels such as the Sinaloa Cartel led by Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán and the Tijuana Cartel led by the Arellano Félix brothers, cousins of Félix Gallardo.
The Legacy of Félix Gallardo
Although in prison, Félix Gallardo remained influential within organized crime. He was known as a diplomat and visionary, who managed to keep peace between the various criminal factions while he was in charge. However, after his arrest, chaos broke out in the Mexican drug world, leading to violent turf wars that have continued to plague Mexico ever since.
Félix Gallardo is considered the architect of modern Mexican cartel structures. He introduced the collaboration between Colombian and Mexican drug cartels and laid the blueprint for the organized drug trade that defines Mexico to this day. Despite his imprisonment, his influence is still felt, not only in the cartel structures but also in the ongoing violent conflicts in Mexico.
Conclusion
Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo was without a doubt one of the most influential figures in the history of Mexican organized crime. His founding of the Guadalajara Cartel and his collaboration with Colombian cartels made Mexico a key player in the global drug trade. Although he is now in prison, his legacy lives on in the current power dynamics of the Mexican cartels.
His story is a tragic example of how one man managed to not only reform organized crime in Mexico, but also influence the course of an entire nation, with devastating consequences that are still felt today.
