MarketBenjamín Arellano Félix
Company Profile

Benjamín Arellano Félix

Benjamín Arellano Félix is a Mexican former drug lord who alongside his brothers founded and led the Tijuana Cartel or "Arellano-Félix Organization” until his arrest in March 2002.

Biography
Benjamín Arellano Félix, who worked closely with his brothers, was one of Mexico's most powerful drug lords and the supplier of one-third of the U.S.'s cocaine. • Carlos Arellano Félix (believed to have been born 20 August 1955), a medical doctor, is not currently wanted. • Eduardo Arellano Félix (born 11 October 1956) – Captured in 2008. • Ramón Arellano Félix (born 31 August 1964) – Shot dead by police in 2002. • Luis Fernando Arellano Félix (believed to have been born 26 January 1966) is not currently wanted. • Francisco Javier Arellano Félix (born 11 December 1969) – Captured in 2006. He also has four sisters. Two of them, Alicia and Enedina, are most active in the cartel's affairs. Benjamín was first arrested on 18 June 1982, in Downey, California, for receiving 100 kilos of cocaine smuggled through the San Ysidro border. However, he escaped custody. The Arellano Félix brothers obtained their first big break in 1989, when they inherited the organization from their uncle, Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, after they showed early promise smuggling consumer electronics over the U.S.–Mexico border. Benjamín Arellano tried to clear his name after the 1993 murder of Cardinal Juan Jesús Posadas Ocampo, in which he had been implicated. That high-profile assassination brought international attention to his trafficking organization and, although this forced Benjamín to lie low and adopt false names, he continued to live in casual confidence, apparently unafraid of capture. Another of Benjamin's brothers, Francisco, was arrested soon afterward on drug charges, and Benjamín, Ramón, and Javier officially became fugitives. ==Kingpin Act sanction==
Kingpin Act sanction
On 1 June 2000, the United States Department of the Treasury sanctioned Benjamín under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (sometimes referred to simply as the "Kingpin Act"), for his involvement in drug trafficking, along with eleven other international criminals. The act prohibited U.S. citizens and companies from doing any kind of business activity with him, and virtually freezing all his assets in the U.S. == Arrest ==
Arrest
The U.S. DEA learned that Benjamín's oldest daughter had a very recognizable and rare facial deformity, and that she was the "soft spot" in her father's violent life. By tracing her, they found her father. He had a $2 million USD bounty for his arrest. On January 4, 2012, he pleaded guilty to racketeering and conspiracy to launder money, and was sentenced to 25 years in prison on 2 April 2012. Some objects that were confiscated from him during his arrests are on display at the Museo del Enervante in Mexico City. As of September 2025 Benjamin is incarcerated at USP Coleman I with a BOP Register Number of 00678-748. He is scheduled for release on April 28, 2032. ==In popular culture==
In popular culture
• In the 2017 Netflix and Univision series, El Chapo, Carlos Hernán Romo plays Benjamín Avendaño (a fictionalized portrayal of Benjamín Arellano Félix). • He is portrayed by Alfonso Dosal in the Netflix series Narcos: Mexico. • A 2003 Mexican film, El fin de los Arellano (The End of the Arellanos), featured characters supposedly based on the Arellano brothers; however, its plot bore practically no resemblance to the actual events. • The Arellano brothers were allegedly an inspiration for the two secondary characters of "the Obregón brothers", featured in the 2000 US film Traffic. ==See also==
tickerdossier.comtickerdossier.substack.com