Edgar Valdez Villarreal

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Valdez and the second or maternal family name is Villarreal.
Edgar Valdez Villarreal
Villarreal in the 2000s
Born (1974-08-11) August 11, 1974 (age 50)
Laredo, Texas, U.S.
Other namesLa Barbie;[1][2] El Comandante;[1] El Güero[1]
OccupationDrug lord
Criminal statusIncarcerated
ChildrenÉdgar Valdéz Beltrán
ParentAbel Valdez Villarreal
AllegianceBeltrán-Leyva Cartel
Conviction(s)Conspiracy to import more than 5 kilograms of cocaine (21 U.S.C. §§ 952, 960, and 963)
Conspiracy to distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine (21 U.S.C. §§ 959, 960, and 963)
Money laundering (18 U.S.C. § 1956)
Criminal penalty49 years imprisonment
Date apprehended
August 30, 2010
Imprisoned atUSP Coleman II

Edgar Valdez Villarreal (born August 11, 1973), also known as La Barbie ("The Barbie"), is a Mexican-American former drug lord and high-ranking lieutenant of the Beltrán Leyva Cartel. Valdez is serving a 49-year prison sentence at USP Coleman II in Florida.

Valdez worked for several years as a Mexican cartel lieutenant alongside nephew Fernando Valdez, before rising to a leadership position in an enforcement squad called Los Negros.[3][4] Following the death of cartel boss Arturo Beltrán Leyva in late 2009, Valdez fought a protracted gang war for control of the cartel resulting in over 150 deaths. He employed techniques such as videotaped torture and decapitation.[5][6]

On August 30, 2010, he was arrested by Mexican Federal Police at a rural house near Mexico City.[7] His gang, known as Los Negros, collapsed by 2011.[8] He was intended to serve a 49-year sentence at USP Coleman II, a high-security US federal prison in Florida. As of November 2022, he is no longer listed as being in the custody of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons, though it has been reported that this was due to certain circumstances involving "safety, security, or privacy reasons."[9]

  1. ^ a b c "Narcotics Rewards Program: Edgar Valdez-Villarreal". United States Department of State. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
  2. ^ Miller Llana, Sara (31 August 2011). "In Mexico, skepticism that arrest of Edgar Valdez Villarreal – 'La Barbie' – will stem drug trade". The Christian Science Monitor. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
  3. ^ Freeman, Laurie (June 2009). State of Siege: Drug-Related Violence and Corruption in Mexico (PDF). Washington Office on Latin America. pp. 7–15. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 November 2006. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
  4. ^ "La Barbie", brazo derecho de los Beltrán Leyva". La Crónica de Hoy (in Spanish). 30 August 2010. Archived from the original on 11 November 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
  5. ^ Miller Llana, Sara (31 August 2010). "Edgar Valdez Villarreal – suspected drug lord 'La Barbie' – arrested in Mexico". The Christian Science Monitor. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
  6. ^ McKinley Jr., James C. (8 September 2010). "U.S. Student Became Mexican Drug Kingpin". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 11 October 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
  7. ^ "Mexico arrests 'drug lord' Edgar Valdez". BBC News. 31 August 2010. Archived from the original on 24 November 2010. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
  8. ^ Vega, Aurora (7 August 2011). "Surgen cuatro grupos del narco en 2011; El Chapo es el capo más poderoso". Excélsior (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
  9. ^ New York Post:December 7th, 2022:Beltran Let's cartel hitman La Barbie missing from prison rolls