Suspected El Chapo rival, cartel boss appears in North Dakota federal court

MOORHEAD — A suspected Mexican cartel chief who allegedly rivaled El Chapo and had connections to an investigation into the deadly capturing of an East Grand Forks, Minnesota, man almost 20 years in the past has been extradited to North Dakota on federal costs.

Juan Francisco Sillas-Rocha appeared Friday, Sept. 9, in Fargo on federal counts of conspiracy to own medicine with intent to distribute, persevering with a felony enterprise and conspiracy to commit homicide. It’s unclear by which jail he’s being held.

A federal indictment that was filed in March 2011 detailed how Sillas-Rocha allegedly led a drug ring in North Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, Washington state, California and elsewhere from 2002 into early 2011. That included bringing giant quantities of meth, cocaine and marijuana from Mexico, Washington and California to the Crimson River Valley, an indictment stated.

Silla-Rocha oversaw 29 individuals within the drug enterprise, based on the indictment.

Court docket paperwork alleged he and others used violence and threats to advertise drug trafficking, together with homicide, kidnapping and assault.

Prosecutors alleged he tried to rent a success squad to kill a number of individuals, together with a disabled woman’s household. It doesn’t seem the supposed targets have been killed.

The courtroom paperwork weren’t unsealed till 2017.

Sillas-Rocha was arrested in 2011 by Mexican authorities, and regulation enforcement stated he was answerable for the deaths of dozens of individuals. The Grand Forks Herald reported in 2017 that Sillas-Rocha was jailed in Mexico and was preventing extradition to the U.S.

He has been recognized as a prime contributor for the Arellano Felix cartel, which was in competitors with the Sinaloa cartel headed by drug kingpin Joaquin Guzman. Also called “El Chapo,” Guzman is serving a life sentence in jail for his half in main his felony syndicate.

In Mexico, Sillas-Rocha is understood for his 2008-2010 feud with a former Arellano-Felix member that engulfed Tijuana, leading to a staggering loss of life toll, based on Borderland Beat, a weblog overlaying the Mexican drug warfare. By 2011, the cartel deserted him.

Media experiences stated he violated a truce with the El Chapo.

Drug sellers allegedly working for him have been convicted in 2008 of murdering Lee Avila in his East Grand Forks cell residence. The loss of life was a part of an investigation right into a federal bust of a cartel-connected drug ring. Authorities dubbed the investigation, “Operation Velocity Racer.”