Rigoberto Yanez-Guerrero, a former ranking member of the Tijuana Cartel/Arellano-Felix Organization (AFO), entered a guilty plea in federal court in San Diego today, announced U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California.

Yanez was extradited by the government of Mexico to the United States in December 2010 to face charges in California for narcotics trafficking, money laundering, and organized crime-related offenses. Long reputed to be one of the most notorious multi-national drug trafficking organizations, the AFO controlled the flow of cocaine, marijuana, and other drugs through the Mexican border cities of Tijuana and Mexicali into the United States. Its operations also extended into southern Mexico as well as Colombia.