Federal court in CA sentences cartel enforcer to 28 years for drug trafficking and violence

CALIFORNIA – U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced, June 13, that Edgar Herrera Pardo, aka Caiman was sentenced in federal court to 28 years in prison for trafficking large quantities of methamphetamine and heroin into the United States.

Herrera Pardo, 35, of Tijuana, Mexico is an admitted cartel enforcer who ordered the killing of a Tijuana police officer.

He was indicted in the Southern District of California on April 10, 2019, as a leader of a group known as Los Cabos.

Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación

Los Cabos operated in Baja California to secure control of the region for Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG). It is one of the most violent criminal organizations in the world, according to the DOJ.

Los Cabos used violence to ensure CJNG maintained the ability to traffic drugs through Tijuana into the U.S.

President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14157 and the Secretary of State’s February 20, 2025, designation classified CJNG as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

The executive order noted cartels such as CJNG have “engaged in a campaign of violence and terror throughout the Western Hemisphere.”

Los Cabos had a direct role in that terror, by abducting and killing enemies of CJNG. They then hung “narco banners” bragging about their violence and warning others who would dare to defy the cartel, according to the DOJ.

Investigators intercepted Los Cabos group chat detailing over 100 murders

According to Herrera Pardo’s plea agreement and the government’s sentencing memo, the defendant admitted that:

On September 9, 2018, he ordered a police officer’s murder in Tijuana, supplied an AR-15 and assisted the co-conspirator.
On October 5, 2018, he ordered a co-conspirator to capture cartel rivals who informed law enforcement about CJNG.
On November 12, 2018, he planned to send enforcers to kidnap and kill rivals.
On November 20, 2018, he discussed targeting former CJNG members who joined a rival cartel. Investigators intercepted Los Cabos group chats – led by Herrera Pardo – detailing over 100 murders.

DEA Special Agent in Charge Brian Clark said the sentencing sends a clear message that those who use violence and fear to advance the deadly operations of drug cartels will be held accountable.