Mexico Extradites Cartel’s Precursor Chemical Broker to
United States to Face Trial for Controlled Substances Manufacturing and
Distribution Conspiracy
Office of Public Affairs
A Mexican national who allegedly supplied the Cártel de
Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG or Jalisco Cartel) with precursor chemicals used
to manufacture controlled substances was extradited today from
Francisco Pulido Coracero, 66, will make his initial court
appearance on May 13 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila A. Upadhyaya in the
In March 2021, a grand jury in Washington, D.C., charged
Pulido Coracero and his co-conspirator, Carlos Algredo Vazquez, 58, with
conspiracy to manufacture and distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine
for importation into the United States, and conspiracy to distribute listed
chemicals—including methylamine, nitroethane, phenylacetic acid, toluene, and
acetone—to be used to manufacture methamphetamine for importation into the
United States. The indictment was unsealed in February 2023.
In July 2023, Carlos Algredo Vazquez’s brother, Javier
Algredo Vazquez, 56, was convicted at trial for his role in the same drug
conspiracy and sentenced on Feb. 23 to 18 years and eight months 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
“The defendant allegedly conspired to distribute
methamphetamine and its precursor chemicals into the
According to court documents and evidence presented at
Javier Algredo Vazquez’s trial, Pulido Coracero, Javier Algredo Vazquez, Carlos
Algredo Vazquez, and other co-conspirators allegedly used seemingly legitimate
companies in Mexico and the United States to acquire chemicals that are used to
manufacture controlled substances from companies in China, India, and
elsewhere. The chemicals were then distributed and used by the CJNG and other
Mexican drug trafficking organizations to manufacture controlled substances,
which were then imported into the
“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
The DEA Los Angeles Field Division investigated the case
with assistance from the
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.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs
contributed significantly to the investigation and in securing the arrest and
extradition of Pulido Coracero. The Justice Department thanks Mexican
authorities for their key role in securing the arrest and extradition of Pulido
Coracero, including the Mexican Attorney General’s Office (FGR) and INTERPOL
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are
presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of
law.
Updated