Notorious Drug Lord Osiel Cardenas Released from U.S. Prison

Osiel Cardenas, former leader of the Gulf Cartel and founder of the violent Zetas, was released from a U.S. prison and handed over to immigration officials. Known for his brutal tactics, Cardenas transformed Mexico's drug trade and has pending charges back in Mexico. His future remains uncertain.

Osiel Cardenas, one of the most infamous drug lords in Mexico's history, was released from a U.S. prison on Friday and placed in the custody of immigration officials, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons announced.

Cardenas, the former leader of the Gulf Cartel, orchestrated some of the deadliest gang violence in Mexico's turbulent history, pioneering vicious tactics such as decapitation. He founded the Zetas, an armed wing of the Gulf Cartel ex-military personnel, who later became a notorious criminal outfit.

Captured in a 2003 gunfight and extradited to the U.S. in 2007, Cardenas was sentenced in 2010 to 25 years behind bars. Upon release, questions loom about his future amidst unresolved charges in Mexico, where he is blamed for intensifying the country's grisly drug violence.

(With inputs from agencies.)