Life in prison for Mexican cartel member “Chous”, a former Chihuahua State police officer

EL PASO, Texas - The United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas announced that Arturo Shows Urquidi, known at "Chous" was sentenced to life in prison for helping the Sinaloa Cartel distribute drugs.

Shows, 50, is a Juarez native and former Chihuahua State police officer who according court documents helped the Sinaloa cartel by providing security for stash houses. The leader of that cartel, Ismael "Mayo" Zambada-Garcia used these stash house and his associates to unload thousands of kilograms of cocaine from tanker trucks which were then reloaded with weapons and money that was transported to Culiacan, Sinaloa.

During Shows' time with the cartel, more than $1 billion worth of cocaine was imported into the U.S.

A federal jury in El Paso on October 22 convicted Shows of one count of conspiracy to violate the Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organization statue, or RICO; one count of conspiracy to possess cocaine and marijuana; one count of conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes.

Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's El Paso Division Greg Millard said, “the sentencing of Arturo Shows Urquidi is the culmination of years of work to investigate and bring to justice a significant member of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel.”

The U.S. Attorney said the investigation and prosecution of transnational criminal organization members is a top priority for their office. “This sentence is a significant step in holding the members of the Sinaloa
Cartel accountable for the crimes they have committed for years," said U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff. "The prosecution of this case clearly demonstrates how strong cooperation between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies can effectively combat the illegal activity of transnational criminal organizations.”

Co-defendant Mario Iglesias-Villegas who went under several aliases was found guilty of five counts of violent crimes, conspiracy to kill in a foreign country, and kidnapping. The Sinaloa cartel's criminal enterprise in the Juarez-El Paso area left thousands of murders during the time the Juarez and Sinaloa cartels engaged in a turf war. This led to Juarez being named the deadliest city in the world at the time.

“It demonstrates our commitment, along with that of our U.S. and foreign law enforcement partners, to pursue violent drug traffickers who seek to destroy our communities for profit,” said DEA SAC Greg Millard. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Explosives and Firearms (ATF), Homeland Security Investigations, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, El Paso Police, El Paso County Sheriff and the Texas Department of Public Safety all investigated this case.