Alleged Drug Trafficker Arraigned in Chicago After Extradition From Mexico
CHICAGO — Robert Bell, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration-Chicago Division, and U.S. Attorney John R. Lausch, Jr., for the Northern District of Illinois, announced that an alleged drug trafficker charged with distributing heroin in the Chicago area was arraigned today in federal court in Chicago after his extradition from Mexico.
Adán Casarrubias Salgado, 53, of Guerrero, Mexico, also known as “El Tomate,” “Tomatito,” “Star,” and “Silver,” was charged in an indictment unsealed today in the Northern District of Illinois with conspiracy, drug trafficking and money laundering offenses. The indictment alleges that Casarrubias Salgado distributed multiple kilograms of heroin in the Chicago area in 2014 and transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars in proceeds back to Mexico.
Casarrubias Salgado was extradited to the United States on Thursday and remains detained in federal custody. He pleaded not guilty during his arraignment this afternoon before U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly in Chicago. A status hearing was set for June 30, 2022, at 1:30 p.m.
“Exercising strong federal laws and extradition is critical to weakening transnational drug cartels that send deadly drugs to the U.S.," said DEA Chicago Division SAC Bell. "The DEA appreciates doing its important work with our close partners to keep Americans safe.”
Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Department of Justice's Office of International Affairs. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney James P. Durkin.
This indictment is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, and other criminal offenders that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The charges in the indictment carry a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in federal prison and a maximum of life. If convicted, the court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
