Aurelio Cano Flores (born 3 May 1972), commonly referred to by his aliases Yankee and/or Yeyo, is an imprisoned Mexican drug trafficker and former high-ranking leader of the Gulf Cartel, a Mexican drug trafficking organization. He is also a former member of the

Federal Judicial Police The Federal Judicial Police ( es, Policía Judicial Federal, the PJF) was the federal police force of Mexico until it was shut down in 2002 due to its own rampant corruption and criminal activity. The jurisdiction of the Federal Judicial Police en ...

in Tamaulipas. Born in the state of

Tamaulipas Tamaulipas (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas), is a state in the northeast region of Mexico; one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal Entiti ...

, Cano Flores became a drug trafficker in 2001 while still serving as a police officer. His role in Mexican law enforcement and his ties with the Gulf Cartel allowed him to recruit several other policemen into the criminal organization's ranks. As a high-ranking leader, Cano Flores served as the regional boss of the Gulf Cartel in Los Guerra, a town in the municipality of

Ciudad Miguel Alemán, Tamaulipas Ciudad () is the Spanish word for City Ciudad may also refer to: *La Ciudad (archaeological site), Hohokam ruins in Phoenix, Arizona *La Ciudad, district of Durango City, Mexico *''La ciudad'', novel by Mario Levrero 1970 *La Ciudad ''The City'' ...

. He was also a leader in

Camargo, Tamaulipas Camargo is a municipality in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. It is located on the US border, across from Rio Grande City, Texas. It has an official population of 14,933 inhabitants (2010 census) and an international bridge. The municipal seat ...

, where he coordinated heroin, cocaine, and marijuana shipments to the United States. In 2010 he was named in a U.S. federal indictment with 19 other high-ranking drug lords of ''La Compañía'' (The Company), a name used to describe the Gulf Cartel and

Los Zetas Los Zetas (, Spanish for "The Zs") is a Mexican criminal syndicate, regarded as one of the most dangerous of Mexico's drug cartels. They are known for engaging in brutally violent "shock and awe" tactics such as beheadings, torture, and indiscr ...

as a conglomerate. He was arrested by the Mexican federal police in June 2009 and extradited to the United States while pending drug trafficking charges on 19 August 2011. Cano Flores was later sentenced to 35 years in prison and ordered to forfeit US$15 billion on 13 May 2013, making him "highest ranking Gulf Cartel member to be convicted by a U.S. jury in the past 15 years".

Criminal career

Aurelio Cano Flores was born in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

on 3 May 1972. He joined the Gulf Cartel, a Mexican drug trafficking organization, in 2001, while still working in the

. As a policeman, Cano Flores was able to recruit several of his colleagues to the Gulf Cartel, where they collected the organization's drug proceeds and protected the drug shipments that headed to the U.S.-Mexico border. Within some time, he rose in the echelons of the cartel, became a high-ranking leader, and was appointed as the Gulf Cartel's boss in the border area of Los Guerra, a small town in the municipality of

, just across the international border from

Roma, Texas Roma is a city in Starr County, Texas, United States. There were 11,561 people at the 2020 census. The city is located along the Rio Grande, across from Ciudad Miguel Alemán in Tamaulipas, Mexico. The city is also popularly known as Roma-Los ...

. While in power, Cano Flores also worked with

, a criminal organization formed in the late 1990s by ex-commandos of the

Mexican Army The Mexican Army ( es, Ejército Mexicano) is the combined land and air branch and is the largest part of the Mexican Armed Forces; it is also known as the National Defense Army. The Army is under the authority of the Secretariat of National ...

who served as the Gulf Cartel's paramilitary wing. To keep the Gulf Cartel afloat, he reportedly intimidated and used violence against rival drug traffickers and Mexican law enforcement officers. Prior to his arrest on 10 June 2009, he was operating as the Gulf Cartel leader in

and coordinated heroin, cocaine, and marijuana shipments to the United States.

Arrest and trial

Cano Flores was arrested by the Mexican federal police on 10 June 2009 while in possession of a firearm, a magazine device, and 30 rounds of ammunition. On 4 November 2010, he was indicted along with 19 other drug traffickers of ''La Compañía'' (The Company), a name that refers to the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas collectively, and charged with conspiracy to traffic over 5 kilos (11 lbs) of cocaine and at least 1,000 kilos (2204.6 lbs) of marijuana to the United States for future distribution. The United States Department of the Treasury had named Cano Flores in 2009 as a close associate of the Zeta bosses

Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano (25 December 1974 – 7 October 2012), commonly referred to by his aliases Z-3 and El Lazca, was a Mexican drug lord and the leader of Los Zetas drug cartel. He was one of the most-wanted Mexican drug lords. Lazcano ...

and

Miguel Treviño Morales Miguel Ángel Treviño Morales (born 18 November 1970), commonly referred to by his alias ''Z-40'', is a Mexican former drug lord and leader of the criminal organization known as Los Zetas. Considered a violent, resentful and dangerous crimin ...

, considered by the government as "significant foreign narcotics traffickers". He was then extradited to the United States from Mexico on 19 August 2011 to face charges on drug trafficking. At the time of his extradition, U.S. authorities indicated that he faced a minimum prison sentence of ten years and a maximum penalty of life in prison for his charges. On 13 May 2013, U.S. District Judge Barbara Jacobs Rothstein sentenced Cano Flores to 35 years in prison and ordered him to forfeit US$15 billion. He was the highest drug lord of the Gulf Cartel to be convicted by a U.S. jury in 15 years.

Bounty

The U.S. Department of State was offering up to US$5 million for information leading to his arrest and/or conviction. Cano Flores also has two aliases: ''Yeyo'' and ''Yankee''. Some media outlets also referred to him by another name, Efraín Sánchez Castillo.

Kingpin Act sanction

On 24 March 2010, the

United States Department of the Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and ...

sanctioned Cano Flores under the

Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act The Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, better known as the Kingpin Act, is landmark federal legislation in the United States intended to address international narcotics trafficking by imposing United States sanctions on foreign persons ...

(sometimes referred to simply as the "Kingpin Act"), for his involvement in drug trafficking along with fifty-three other international criminals and ten foreign entities. The act prohibited U.S. citizens and companies from doing any kind of business activity with him, and virtually froze all his assets in the U.S.

Sources

Footnotes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cano Flores, Aurelio 1972 births Living people Gulf Cartel members People from Tamaulipas People sanctioned under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act