Makati court finds alleged Sinaloa cartel member guilty of drug trafficking

(Eagle News)–A Makati court on Wednesday, Feb .13, convicted a man believed to be a member of the Sinaloa cartel for drug trafficking.

Justice Undersecretary Markk Perete, also the Department of Justice spokesperson, said  Branch 63 Judge Selma Palacio Alaras found Horacio Herrera guilty beyond reasonable doubt for selling 2.5 kilograms of cocaine worth P12 million in Makati on Jan. 11, 2015.

Herrera, a Mexican national, was sentenced to life imprisonment, and given a fine of P500,000 to P10 million.

Perete said Senior Assistant Prosecutor Juan Pedro Navera, and Assistant State Prosecutors Josie Christina Dugay and Ethel Rea Suril prosecuted the case.

According to Perete, Herrera was a mid-level member of the notorious Sinaloa cartel that is also engaged in the supply of shabu, ecstasy and cocaine in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

The cartel’s leader, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, was recently convicted by a New York jury of operating a criminal enterprise.