HOUSTON, TX – A Mexican national and senior member of the Los Zetas cartel was sentenced to more than 31 years in federal prison for conspiring to manufacture and distribute large quantities of cocaine and marijuana. He was also ordered to forfeit $26.5 million.
Eleazar Medina-Rojas, 53, also known as El Chelelo, of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, was a longtime Los Zetas leader who used violence to control key trafficking routes into the United States, including corridors leading to Brownsville, Laredo, and McAllen. According to court documents, Medina-Rojas personally facilitated the importation of more than 450 kilograms of cocaine and 90,000 kilograms of marijuana into the country.
Between 2006 and 2007, Medina-Rojas served as a “plaza boss” in Monterrey, Mexico, commanding cartel members in drug trafficking operations and violent enforcement actions. Authorities said he oversaw smuggling operations that moved more than 3,000 tons of drugs across the Southern Texas border during his tenure.
Medina-Rojas was extradited from Mexico to the United States in July 2023 following a coordinated effort between U.S. and Mexican authorities. The DEA Houston Division led the investigation, with assistance from the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs…