Alleged Violent Cartel Enforcer Extradited from Mexico

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – August 3, 2023

SAN DIEGO – Edgar Herrera Pardo, aka Caiman, an alleged violent cartel enforcer in Tijuana, Mexico, was extradited from Mexico yesterday to face federal drug trafficking charges in San Diego. 

Caiman was indicted in the Southern District of California on April 10, 2019, as an alleged leader of a group known as Los Cabos, which operated in Baja California to secure control of the region for Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, commonly known as CJNG. Los Cabos employed rampant violence to ensure that CJNG maintained the ability to traffic drugs through Tijuana and into the United States.

Caiman was apprehended by authorities in Mexico on August 5, 2019, and has been in custody there since. He arrived in San Diego on August 2, 2023, and made his initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mitchell D. Dembin. He is scheduled for a detention hearing before Judge Dembin on August 8, 2023 at 10 a.m.

“According to the government’s allegations, Herrera Pardo and his group of enforcers unleashed appalling violence on Tijuana on behalf of a powerful drug cartel that is responsible for moving large quantities of illicit drugs into the U.S.,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman “This extradition shows that those who put American lives at risk through trafficking of dangerous substances will be held responsible, wherever they may be. The Department of Justice appreciates the cooperation of the Mexican authorities in this matter. With the assistance of our law enforcement colleagues at home and around the world, we will aggressively pursue drug traffickers and bring them to justice.” Grossman thanked the prosecution team and the Drug Enforcement Administration for their excellent work on the case.

“Drug trafficking is a violent crime,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Shelly Howe. “The alleged actions of Edgar Herrera Pardo demonstrate the devastation that drug trafficking can have on a community. The DEA and its partners at the local, state, and federal level are dedicated to protecting the community from the dangerous actions of people like Herrera Pardo.”

The Justice Department extends its gratitude to the Mexican Attorney General, Foreign Secretariat, and prosecutorial and law enforcement authorities for making the extradition possible. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing the defendant’s arrest and extradition from Mexico. The U.S. Marshals Service assisted in bringing the defendant back to the United States.

This case is part of a long-term investigation led by the Southern District of California that included a six-month period of judicially-authorized interceptions and led to the indictment of other cartel enforcers in Tijuana and drug distributors in the United States.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.

DEFENDANT                                                           Case Number: Case Number: 19CR1274-BAS

Edgar Herrera Pardo aka Caiman                               Age: 35                       Tijuana, Mexico

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances for Purpose of Unlawful Importation, in violation of Title 21 U.S.C. §§ 959, 960 and 963

Maximum Penalty: Mandatory minimum 10 years and up to life in prison; $10 million fine

Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances, in violation of Title 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 846

Maximum Penalty: Mandatory minimum 10 years and up to life in prison and $10 million fine

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

Drug Enforcement Administration

Homeland Security Investigations

United States Marshals Service

Department of Justice, Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force

Department of Justice, Office of Enforcement Operations

Department of Justice, Office of International Affairs

San Diego Sheriff’s Department