Edgar Perez Villa, an alleged member of the Tijuana-based enforcement group for the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), was extradited from Mexico to the United States and appeared in federal court in San Diego. He is accused alongside other cartel enforcers of supporting heroin and methamphetamine trafficking through violent means.
Perez Villa entered a not-guilty plea during his arraignment before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jill L. Burkhardt. The government requested his detention, citing him as a significant flight risk. A detention hearing is scheduled for February 27, 2025, with Judge Michelle Pettit, followed by a motion hearing on March 28, 2025, before U.S. District Court Judge Cynthia A. Bashant.
The superseding indictment returned on March 6, 2020, along with another indictment from March 16, 2021, charges Perez Villa and others like Edgar Herrera Pardo and Carlos Lorenzo Hinojosa Guerrero with drug trafficking crimes. These individuals are allegedly leaders of "Los Cabos," a group that used violence to control Baja California for CJNG's drug trafficking operations into the United States.
According to court documents, Los Cabos orchestrated over 150 murders in Tijuana as part of their operations. CJNG is known for trafficking cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl-laced heroin into the U.S., being one of the most powerful Mexican cartels involved in such activities.
Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew Haden stated: “For far too long, violent cartels have inflicted untold suffering through violence and drug addiction.” DEA Special Agent Brian Clark added: “As an alleged member of Los Cabos, Perez-Villa spent years destroying the community through drug trafficking and violence.”
This case results from efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), which involves federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies working together to dismantle high-level criminal organizations.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs collaborated with Mexican authorities to facilitate Perez Villa's arrest and extradition.
Perez Villa faces charges including conspiracy to distribute controlled substances with potential sentences ranging from ten years to life imprisonment along with substantial fines.