Alleged Member of Cartel Enforcement Group Extradited from Mexico
SAN DIEGO – Edgar Perez Villa, an alleged member of a Tijuana-based enforcement group for the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, commonly known as CJNG, was extradited from Mexico to the United States on Thursday and made his first appearance in federal court in San Diego today.
Perez Villa was indicted along with other alleged Mexican drug cartel enforcers in connection with their alleged violent support of heroin and methamphetamine trafficking.
At today’s hearing, Perez Villa was arraigned and entered a not-guilty plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jill L. Burkhardt. The government asked that Perez Villa be detained on grounds that he is a significant flight risk. Judge Burkhardt scheduled a detention hearing for February 27, 2025, at 2 p.m. before Judge Michelle Pettit. The Court also set March 28, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. for a motion hearing/trial setting before U.S. District Court Judge Cynthia A. Bashant.
The superseding indictment, returned on March 6, 2020, plus a related indictment returned on March 16, 2021, collectively charged Perez Villa, aka Cabo 89, along with other alleged cartel leaders - including Edgar Herrera Pardo, aka Caiman; Carlos Lorenzo Hinojosa Guerrero, aka Cabo 96; and Israel Alejandro Vazquez-Vazquez, aka Cabo 50, among others. They are charged with drug trafficking crimes.
According to court documents, the defendants were leaders of a violent group of cartel enforcers known as “Los Cabos” who operated in Baja California to secure control of the region for CJNG.
Los Cabos allegedly employed rampant violence to ensure that CJNG maintained the ability to traffic drugs through Tijuana and into the United States through San Diego. According to the indictment, investigators learned through judicially-authorized interceptions that the leaders of Los Cabos planned more than 150 murders, the majority of which took place in Tijuana, according to the filings.
Los Cabos allegedly engaged in this violence in support of CJNG, one of the most dangerous transnational criminal organizations in the world. The cartel has its hands in trafficking multiple deadly substances. It is responsible for moving tons of cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl-laced heroin into the United States. CJNG is also a prolific methamphetamine producer and chemical importer, using precursors procured from China and India. CJNG is one of the most powerful Mexican cartels operating within the United States.
“Cartels use violence and intimidation to control the areas they terrorize,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Brian Clark. “As an alleged member of Los Cabos, Perez-Villa spent years destroying the community through drug trafficking and violence. One by one, the DEA will hold these criminals accountable and bring them to justice.”
“For far too long, violent cartels have inflicted untold suffering through violence and drug addiction,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew Haden. “Our fight against this reign of terror will not waver.”
This case is the result of ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership that brings together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, dismantle and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations and enterprises.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Mexico to secure the arrest and extradition of Perez Villa.
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
U.S. Attorney's Office; Homeland Security Investigations; Department of Justice, Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force; Department of Justice, Office of Enforcement Operations; Department of Justice, Office of International Affairs; San Diego Sheriff’s Department
