(NationalUSNews.com) — Mexican authorities have captured Nestor Isidro Perez Salas, an alleged cartel leader and top hitman for the Sinaloa cartel, and extradited him to the United States to face multiple felony charges.
Salas faces charges relating to his alleged role in committing murders, importing illegal narcotics into the United States, kidnapping civilians, illegally selling and owning firearms, and using businesses within the United States to launder his illegally obtained money. If convicted of the various charges against him, Salas will likely spend the rest of his life in a federal prison.
Mexican police managed to arrest Salas back in November 2023 but couldn’t extradite the alleged cartel leader until United States prosecutors could secure indictments against him. Salas faces charges in multiple states, including New York and Washington, D.C. The Department of Justice worked alongside Mexican authorities to coordinate Salas’ extradition and managed to charge him after they learned Salas allegedly helped other cartel members kill an informant for the Drug Enforcement Administration.
According to the Department of Justice, Salas served within the Sinaloa Cartel for decades and participated in countless assassinations during his criminal career. Unidentified informants claim that Salas eventually became the Sinaloa Cartel’s top hitman and one of the criminal organization’s highest-ranking members. Salas, who operated under the name “El Nini” during his alleged crimes, allegedly led groups of cartel hitmen to kill innocent civilians, rival cartel members, and law enforcement officers.
Prosecutors also claim that Salas helped manufacture and traffic fentanyl into the United States, contributing to the drug’s increased presence throughout the country. So far, authorities have charged Salas with trafficking fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine. Salas also faces charges relating to eight different deaths, including a child and the aforementioned informant, within the state of New York. Although Salas is only 32 years old, he will likely receive a life sentence if convicted for the various murders, drug importations, and other offenses prosecutors claim he committed.
Salas’s arrest comes as the United States government has renewed its effort to limit the influence of Mexico’s various drug cartels, including the Sinaloa Cartel. The Sinaloa Cartel remains the most powerful illegal enterprise operating in Mexico and regularly clashes with rival cartels and authorities. Prosecutors claim that Salas is an essential member of the Sinaloa Cartel’s leadership and that by convicting him, the United States could deal an effective blow to the criminal organization.
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