Former BLO/H-2 Cartel Leader 'H3' Extradited to the US, Connected to General Cienfuegos Case
”Socalj” for Borderland Beat
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2019 Arrest
El H3 was arrested in February 2019 in Tlajomulco de Zúñiga, Jalisco. Someone had called police and given up the location of the house, claiming it to be an active drug sale site. His extradition, postponed following several successful Amparos filed in Mexico was announced by the Los Angeles DEA and Eastern District of New York US Attorney’s office.
“As alleged in the indictment and court filings, Sanchez was one of the principal leaders of the H-2 Drug Trafficking Organization, a brutally violent transnational criminal organization that flooded American streets with dangerous drugs and protected its operations through murder and corruption,” stated United States Attorney Durham.
According to the indictment and court filings, Sanchez was a leader of the H-2 Drug Trafficking Organization (the H-2 DTO), a violent Mexican drug trafficking organization based in Nayarit and Sinaloa, Mexico.
H-2 Cartel
Sanchez’s alias “H3” is a reference to his status as a successor to Hector Beltran-Leyva, the original “H” and one of the principal leaders of the Beltran Leyva Cartel/BLO that was previously part of the Sinaloa Cartel. The H-2 Cartel was previously led by the defendant’s brother, Juan Francisco Patron Sanchez, also known as “H2.” This group previously received protection from the former attorney general of Nayarit, Édgar Veytia Cambero.
The DEA estimates that between January 2013 and February 2017, the H-2 DTO distributed, on a monthly basis, hundreds of kilograms of heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine, and thousands of kilograms of marijuana into the United States and earned millions of dollars in illegal proceeds in return.
Between June 2013 and December 2016, the defendant was one of the principal leaders of the H-2 DTO and directed the distribution of large quantities of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana from Mexico into various parts of the United States, including the Eastern District of New York.
The defendant also coordinated the money laundering activities of other members of the H-2 DTO to ensure the proceeds of their drug trafficking were transferred back to Mexico. In addition, he conspired with other leaders and members of the H-2 DTO to kill members of rival drug trafficking organizations and other individuals perceived as threats to the H-2 DTO.
General Cienfuegos
Juan Francisco Patron Sanchez “El H2″ was killed in a shootout at his home in Tepic in February 2017. While he was alive, the DEA intercepted several phone conversations he had with drug traffickers. These conversations served as evidence against former Mexican Army chief Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda, who the US claims was known by the BLO was “El Padrino” (The Godfather). Cienfuegos was indicted in the US for reportedly helping the BLO’s drug trafficking operations. He was arrested in October 2020 in Los Angeles in one of the highest-profile drug trafficking cases in recent decades.
However, his arrest angered the Mexican Army, who claimed that the evidence against Cienfuegos were “fabricated”. After months of secret meetings between Mexican and US officials, Cienfuegos’ charges were dropped and he was allowed to return to Mexico.
Once in Mexico, a court ruled that Cienfuegos was innocent and his criminal allegations were dismissed.
Sources DOJ, Borderland Beat
Source: https://www.borderlandbeat.com/2025/02/former-bloh-2-cartel-leader-h3.html
