Ex-Mexican drug cartel leader gets 30 years in US prison

Ivan Velasquez-Caballero must forfeit $10M

LAREDO, Texas – A former high-ranking member of the Zetas cartel in Mexico must serve 30 years in a U.S. prison and forfeit $10 million for his drug-related crimes, prosecutors said.

Ivan Velasquez-Caballero, 47, of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, was sentenced Friday by a federal judge in Laredo, Texas.

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Velasquez-Caballero is expected to face deportation following his release from prison, officials said.

Known in Mexico as "El Taliban," Velasquez-Caballero agreed to plead guilty in 2014 to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.

Mexican authorities in 2012 arrested Velasquez-Caballero in the northern city of San Luis Potosi and extradited him to South Texas on drug-related charges.

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