Is La Barbie still in federal custody? Drug lord sentenced to 49 years prison disappears from BOP database
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA: Confusion has been put to rest, or maybe not after concern was raised when drug lord La Barbie did not appear in the prison inmate or custody list in the Bureau of Prison databases. The Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Marcelo Ebrard, has now confirmed that he is still in the custody of US authorities, it was revealed on Thursday, November 1 a day after reports circulated on his whereabouts. Valdez's release date was set on July 27, 2057, per the sentence records after being sentenced to 49 years in 2018. But strangely, he was listed as “Not in BOP custody” in the Bureau of Prisons database.
On Thursday, multiple outlets reported that Edgar Valdez Villarreal, alias La Barbie's whereabouts were unknown or that he may have been out under the witness protection list for busting other gangs. However, the pressing concern was if he still remains in the custody. "Of 'Barbie', I still do not have confirmation that he has been released. That is, he is still in custody, but they have not given us details of what's next. We were told by the US Embassy that he is still in custody. We are going to see if that is the case or not," Marcelo Ebrard, Secretary of Foreign Affairs said as per Mexicanist.
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The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) stated that he will continue to monitor the status of Villareal, who was extradited to Georgia from Mexico seven years ago by the Mexican government during President Enrique Pea Nieto's administration. Villarreal's exact status is unknown at this time, though it is speculated that he may be part of the US-protected witness program. Following the escape of Joaqun 'El Chapo' Guzman, Villarreal was apprehended in August 2010 and extradited to the United States in 2015, the outlet reported.
Who is La Barbie?
La Barbie was born in the United States in August 1973 in Laredo, Texas. At a young age, La Barbie began breaking the law in the United States. He was arrested when he was 19 for having marijuana on him. After being released from prison, he fled to Mexico and continued to work in the drug trade there. His soccer coach referred to him as "La Barbie" when he was still living in the United States because of his white skin, blonde hair, and light eyes. Authorities in the United States had been looking for him since the early 2000s, when he was suspected of dealing drugs in Texas, New Orleans, Memphis, Tennessee, and Mississippi. In 2001, Arturo Beltran Leyva, also known as "El Barbas," who was a major leader of the "Federation" at the time, helped Villarreal. In January 2016, he pleaded guilty in federal court in Atlanta to trafficking cocaine between 2004 and 2006 as well as money laundering. In June 2018, he received a sentence of 49 years and one month in prison. The trial in the United States against Genaro García Luna, Mexico's former public security minister, was postponed to January 17, 2023.
Has La Barbie been released?
The Borderland Beat which reports on Drug cartels concluded that La Barbie after pleading guilty made a deal with the US prosecutors and is now in the custody of US Marshals or a prison for detained witnesses. It cited that this option has been used by other Mexican drug lords who were sent to the US, such as family members of Sinaloa Cartel leader Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada. His oldest son, "El Vicentillo" Zambada Niebla, doesn't seem to be in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons anymore, but the institution hasn't said if he's in the Protected Witness Program yet.