Benjamin Arellano-Felix, one of the most wanted and brutal drug cartel bosses, was extradited to the United States from Mexico today to face charges in San Diego.
Arellano-Felix was considered the mastermind of the Tijuana-based cartel in the 1990s.
The cartel trafficked in billions of dollars worth of drugs from Mexico and Colombia into the United States.
The drug gang was said to control a third of the cocaine traffic into the U.S. The cartel also smuggled tons of marijuana, methamphetamine and heroin to American cities.
U.S. investigators say the cartel murdered competitors in the drug trade, as well as police and other government officials who got in the way.
Arellano-Felix and his brothers were implicated by authorities in the 1993 assassination of Mexican Cardinal Juan Jesus Posadas Ocampo. The organization spent millions buying protection from Mexican police officers, judges and military officials, officials say.
At one time, Arellano-Felix and his now-deceased brother Ramon, were on most-wanted posters in the U.S. along with Osama Bin Laden.
