Freed the alleged leader of the Mexican drug cartel after 20 years in prison

• Israel Valterta has been released from prison after 20 years of incarceration.
• The court dismissed the prosecutor's charges due to lack of evidence.
• Florence Cassez received 60 years for her involvement in kidnappings.

MEXICO CITY — The alleged leader of a well-known Mexican drug cartel, which was involved in kidnappings, has been released from maximum security after nearly 20 years in prison. This happened on Friday when the court announced that there was insufficient evidence to support the prosecutor's charges.

Secretary of the Interior Rosa Isela Rodriguez on Friday reviewed the numerous appeals, instructions, and complaints filed over the years concerning Israel Valterta, in a case that had not gone to trial.

Valterta had been accused of organized crime and kidnappings, but the court dismissed these accusations on Thursday.

The office of the Attorney General did not respond to a request regarding possible appeal processes.

Valterta had been arrested in 2005 along with his wife, French citizen Florence Cassez.

Cassez received 60 years in prison related to accusations of involvement in facilitating kidnappings, which worsened relations between Paris and Mexico.

She acknowledged that she lived with Valterta at the ranch where they kept kidnapping victims, but she denied her involvement, stating that she did not know about their presence. One of the victims identified her as a kidnapper, only by voice, not by appearance.

On the following day after Cassez's arrest, the police forced her to participate in a staged raid at the ranch, supposedly to rescue kidnapped victims. This incident was highlighted on ZMG and broadcasted on television.

In January 2013, the Supreme Court overturned Cassez's conviction due to violations of procedural norms and human rights. She was released and became a symbol in France.

Tags: Crime