SAN DIEGO (CN) - An alleged leader of the Sinaloa drug cartel was arrested at an Amsterdam airport at the request of the United States, federal prosecutors said.
Jose Rodrigo Arechiga-Gamboa was arrested on Dec. 30 at the Schiphol Airport as he left a plane from Mexico City, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. He was charged in a two-count indictment with conspiring to import and distribute controlled substances. The Dec. 20, 2013 indictment, was unsealed after he was arrested.
The 3-page indictment does not elucidate on Arechiga's presumed ties to the Sinaloa cartel. The U.S. Attorney's Office called him a cartel leader in a statement. The indictment accuses him of conspiring to distribute more than 5 kilos of cocaine, more than half a kilo of cocaine, and more than 100 kilos of marijuana.
The United States wants him extradited to face charges in Southern California.
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