A Mexican man accused of providing the Jalisco Cartel (CJNG) with chemicals for illegal drug production was extradited to Washington, D.C. today to stand trial.
Francisco Pulido Coracero, 66, will make his initial court appearance on Monday. He is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
U.S. authorities indicted Francisco Pulido Coracero and Carlos Algredo Vazquez in March 2021 for conspiring to produce and import large quantities of methamphetamine into the United States.
The charges also included supplying key chemicals, like methylamine, for this drug production. The indictment became public in February 2023. Notably, Carlos’ brother, Javier Algredo Vazquez, was convicted on these charges in July 2023 and sentenced to nearly 19 years in prison.
“Precursor chemicals are the lifeblood of the Jalisco Cartel’s deadly drug trafficking operation,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Today’s extradition of one of the cartel’s alleged chemical suppliers, Francisco Pulido Coracero, demonstrates the long and relentless reach of the Justice Department. We are grateful to the government of Mexico for their partnership in this extradition. The Justice Department will stop at nothing to hold accountable those who devastate our communities with deadly drugs.”
“The defendant allegedly conspired to distribute methamphetamine and its precursor chemicals into the United States for at least 10 years,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
Court documents and trial evidence allege that Pulido Coracero, the Vazquez brothers (Javier and Carlos), and others formed a conspiracy.
They used seemingly legitimate businesses in Mexico and the US to buy chemicals for illegal drug production from companies in China, India, and other countries. These chemicals were then supplied to the CJNG and other Mexican cartels for making drugs that were ultimately smuggled into the United States, according to authorities.
“Pulido Coracero will now face justice for allegedly conspiring with the Jalisco Cartel, one of the two Mexican cartels responsible for the deadly methamphetamine in the United States,” said Administrator Anne Milgram of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). “The Jalisco Cartel uses a variety of tactics to obtain precursor chemicals and conceal their crimes, including hiding behind the cover of legitimate businesses, which Pulido Coracero is alleged to have done. This investigation is another example of DEA’s commitment to save American lives by stopping the Jalisco and Sinaloa Cartels.”
Mexican authorities arrested both Pulido Coracero and Carlos Algredo Vazquez in October 2023. Carlos Algredo Vazquez’s extradition to the United States is still pending.
The DEA Los Angeles Field Division investigated the case with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service’s Investigative Operations Division and Homeland Security Investigations Houston.
Trial Attorneys Kate Naseef and Jonathan Hornok, Acting Assistant Deputy Chief Nhan Nguyen, and Acting Deputy Chief Kaitlin Sahni of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section are prosecuting the case.