Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo

Known as “El Padrino” (The Godfather), Félix Gallardo was a former Sinaloa state police officer and bodyguard for Governor Leopoldo Sánchez Celis. After Operation Condor displaced traffickers from the Sierra Madre, he used his political connections to build the Guadalajara Cartel, the first modern Mexican cartel structure.

He established the Colombian cocaine pipeline, partnering with Colombian cartels and taking a 50% cut of cocaine rather than cash payments. The network reportedly generated $5 billion annually. The cartel operated under DFS protection.

Arrested April 8, 1989, following the Camarena affair. Before his arrest, he allegedly divided trafficking territories among his lieutenants, creating the Tijuana, Juárez, and Sinaloa cartels.