In Narcos: Mexico, Diego Luna portrays Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, who formed the Guadalajara Cartel. As portrayed in the series, Felix Gallardo worked in the Federal Judicial police force in his native city of Culiacan, Sinaloa.
Felix Gallardo, also known as El Padrino (The Godfather), revolutionized the Mexican drug cartel with a coalition of some of the most powerful Mexican gangs: the Sinaloa cartel, Tijuana cartel, and Juarez cartel.
WARNING: Narcos: Mexico Season 1 spoilers ahead.
Thought Diego Luna looked too frail to play a leader of a drug cartel…then I saw a photo of the real Felix Gallardo #Narcos pic.twitter.com/7xkwVM6Zqx
— Shahbab Choudhury (@shutupshahbab) November 19, 2018
In the finale of Narcos: Mexico Season 1, Felix Gallardo emerges more powerful than ever with political protection from the Mexican army.
However, the reprisals for the torture and murder of Kiki Camarena will catch up with Gallardo eventually. At age 43, Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo was arrested in April 1989 after evading capture for over 10 years.
After a three-month investigation, Gallardo was charged for the death of Camarena along with racketeering and drug smuggling charges.
Felix Gallardo today
The former Guadalajara Cartel boss is 72 years old at the time of writing, and is serving the remainder of his 40-year prison sentence in a medium-security prison as of 2014.
Last year, Felix Gallardo was retried for the murder of Kiki Camarena and was found guilty and ordered to pay over $1.18million in damages.
In Narcos: Mexico there is a scene where Felix meets Kiki Camarena. Although the series is mostly an accurate portrayal of the real events, the scene was fictionalized as it is unknown whether the two met in real life during Camarena’s capture.
In 2018, Felix Gallardo is the only Guadalajara cartel boss that remains behind bars. Don Neto Foncesca was transferred to house arrest and recently received permission to leave the house. Rafa Caro Quintero was released on a technicality in 2013 and has evaded being rearrested ever since.
Felix Gallardo and his crones were ruthless and had no care for people, the law or else. They all lived like gangsters and, at the end they got what they deserved. Drug dealers destroyed many lives while enriching themselves and having a never ending thirst for power.