Edgar "La Barbie" Valdez Villarreal (born 11 August 1973) was the boss of the Beltran Leyva Cartel from 2009 to 2010, succeeding Arturo Beltran Leyva and preceding Hector Beltran Leyva.
Biography[]
Edgar Valdez Villarreal was born and raised in Laredo, Texas, where he was a popular football player. Nicknamed "La Barbie" for appearing similar to a Ken doll, Valdez dealt marijuana in high school and accidentally ran over a middle school counselor while speeding down a Laredo street. Valdez fled to Mexico rather than be arrested for dealing marijuana, and he rose in the ranks of the Beltran Leyva Cartel due to his connections in the United States.
Rise and fall[]
Valdez in prison, 2014
Valdez came to lead the "Los Negros" enforcement wing of the cartel, and the gang employed local gangs such as the Mexican Mafia and MS-13 to carry out murders. Valdez became Arturo Beltran Leyva's trusted right-hand man after El Chapo betrayed the cartel and had Alfredo Beltran Leyva imprisoned (turning Alfredo in so that his own son, Ivan Archivaldo Guzman, would be released from prison). In 2009, he was captured by the Mexican Army after one of his henchmen tipped the military off, and the Mexican Army brought him to El Chapo. El Chapo gave Valdez an option: either he would die a loyal man, or spill the beans on his boss and keep all of his territories; Valdez negotiated that he would also acquire Acapulco, in addition to his boss' turf, if he cooperated with El Chapo. A deal was struck, and Beltran Leyva was killed in a police raid in Cuernavaca, Morelos after Valdez left the home. Valdez proceeded to engage in a power struggle with Hector Beltran Leyva, fighting for control of the gang. On 30 August 2010, he was captured by the Mexican Federal Police, ending his leadership of the cartel. In 2015, he was extradited to the USA on drug trafficking charges.