Sinaloa cartel member gets life for drug trafficking

MANILA, Philippines — A Mexican man believed to be a member of the Sinaloa drug cartel was convicted yesterday by a Makati court for trafficking over two kilos of cocaine with an estimated value of P12 million in 2015.

In a seven-page decision, acting Presiding Judge Selma Palacio Alaras of the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 63 sentenced Horacio Hernandez Herrera to life in prison.

The court ordered Herrera to pay a fine of up to P10 million for violating Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act. 

Herrera was arrested by operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and Philippine National Police Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force in a sting in Makati on Jan. 11, 2015.

Authorities believe that Herrera is a ranking member of the Mexican drug ring.

The Sinaloa cartel is considered the world’s most powerful drug trafficking and organized crime group. Its leader, Joaquin Guzman, more popularly known as El Chapo, was convicted of drug trafficking in New York on Tuesday.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) welcomed the conviction of Herrera.

DOJ spokesman and Undersecretary Markk Perete lauded the team of prosecutors that handled the case.       – With Edu Punay