High-Ranking Member Of Violent Mexican Drug Cartel Pleads Guilty To Drug Trafficking Conspiracy

The U.S. Justice Department released the information below on March 13^th:

Mexican national and high-ranking, violent member of the Los Zetas cartel pleaded guilty today to conspiring to manufacture and distribute large quantities of cocaine and marijuana destined for the United States.

According to court documents, Eleazar Medina-Rojas, also known as El Chelelo, 53, was a member of Los Zetas, a drug trafficking organization comprised primarily of former Mexican military officers that began as an armed militaristic wing of the Gulf Cartel. Los Zetas later formed an alliance with the Gulf Cartel, and they collectively operated under the name “The Company.” Medina-Rojas was responsible for enforcement actions and protection of drug trafficking routes, which he often carried out through violence, threats of violence, and the use of weapons. For example, Medina-Rojas participated in acts of violence against rival drug trafficking groups during conflicts for control over drug plazas and trafficking routes.

Medina-Rojas rose through the ranks of The Company and held important leadership roles. Between 2006 and 2007, he served as a “plaza boss” in Monterrey, Mexico, commanding dozens of members of The Company in drug trafficking activity and acts of violence. Specifically, he coordinated cocaine and marijuana loads from Mexico into the United States, shipping the drugs in box trucks and other vehicles outfitted with hidden compartments, and coordinated the repatriation of bulk cash drug proceeds to Mexico. Medina-Rojas and those under his command and control taxed other shipments of illegal drugs that crossed through The Company’s territory, often en route to the United States. Medina-Rojas was personally responsible for the importation into the United States of more than 450 kilograms of cocaine and 90,000 kilograms of marijuana.

Sentencing is scheduled for June 13, 2025.  Medina-Rojas faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Supervisory Official Matthew R. Galeotti, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux of the Houston Field Division made the announcement.

The DEA Houston Division investigated the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Mexico to secure the arrest and July 2023 extradition of Medina-Rojas.

Trial Attorneys Jayce Born and Kirk Handrich and Acting Deputy Chief Melanie Alsworth of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods.