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Roberto Nájera Gutiérrez, known as “Kung Fu Panda” and “La Gallina,” was extradited from Mexico to the United States and appeared before a federal court in Atlanta, where he pleaded not guilty to the charge of conspiring to manufacture and distribute cocaine intended for U.S. territory.
The Department of Justice reported in a statement that Nájera Gutiérrez, 48 years old and originally from Tizimín, Yucatán, was considered a high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel, responsible for coordinating the transportation of large shipments of cocaine from South America to Mexico, with final destinations in cities such as Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, and New York.
“La Gallina,” lieutenant of “El Chapo” Guzmán, was arrested in 2017 by Mexican authorities in Yucatán, and a Collegiate Court authorized his extradition.
He was supposedly the plaza boss in southeast Mexico, including the Yucatán Peninsula and Belize, in regions where he managed the illegal operations of the drug lord, who has been incarcerated in the United States for years.
“Thanks to the leadership of President Trump and the courageous work of our DEA agents, the cartels are no longer free to import poison into our communities,” stated U.S. Attorney General, Pamela Bondi.
“We thank the Office of International Affairs for achieving the extradition of this alleged narcoterrorist and our prosecutors in Georgia for ensuring that he faces justice swiftly.”
According to federal prosecutor Theodore S. Hertzberg, the case is part of an investigation that began in 2013 into drug trafficking networks linked to the infamous Sinaloa Cartel, an organization designated in February 2025 as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and Specially Designated Global Terrorist Entity.
The accused is said to have directed the shipment of multiple loads of cocaine from Colombia and Ecuador to Honduras and Guatemala, to then be transported to Mexico and subsequently distributed in the United States.
In addition, he would have coordinated the movement of funds obtained through bank accounts controlled by the cartel.
Nájera Gutiérrez was arrested in Mexico and extradited on January 8, 2026. He remains in federal custody.
The case is being investigated by the DEA and the IRS Criminal Investigation Office (IRS-CI), with support from the United States Marshals Service (U.S. Marshals Service), which handled the transfer from Mexico.
The accusation against Nájera is part of the Operación Recuperar América (Operation Take Back America), an initiative by the Department of Justice driven under the administration of President Donald Trump to dismantle transnational criminal organizations, curb illegal immigration, and combat drug and human trafficking.
The investigation is also part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF), established by Executive Order 14159 "Protecting the American People Against Invasion," the official statement on the case noted.
This interagency group coordinates federal, state, and local agencies with the aim of eradicating cartels, foreign gangs, and human trafficking networks both within and outside the United States, it added.
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