Francisco Javier Arellano Felix (born 11 December 1969) was a Mexican drug lord and a leader of the Tijuana Cartel. Francisco Javier was the cartel's boss from 2003 to 2006, succeeding Benjamin Arellano Felix and preceding Eduardo Arellano Felix. He was captured by the US Coast Guard on 12 August 2006 while fishing in international waters off Baja California Sur.
Biography[]
Francisco Javier Arellano Felix was born in Sinaloa, Mexico in 1969, the youngest of the Arellano Felix siblings Francisco Rafael, Enedina, Benjamin, Carlos Alberto, Eduardo, Ramon, and Luis Fernando. In 1986, he and his siblings met with a group of Los Angeles crack dealers at Enedina's initiative, and he tried crack cocaine for the first time at the meeting. In 1989, following the downfall of the Guadalajara Cartel, the Arellano Felix siblings became the bosses of the new Tijuana Cartel, and, on 1 June 2004, Francisco Javier and his siblings were sanctioned by the United States government. On 12 August 2006, he was captured by the US Coast Guard while fishing in international waters off the coast of Baja California Sur, and, on 5 November 2007, he was sentenced to life in prison for running a criminal enterprise and laundering money. In June 2015, his prison sentence was reduced to 23 years due to his cooperation with federal authorities and it is very likely he will be released soon in or after 2026.