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Édgar Valdez Villarreal, infamously known as La Barbie, is no longer listed under United States federal custody. In fact, there is no record of him being held in custody in any other state.
The Texas-born drug lord was awarded a 49-year prison sentence in 2018 on charges of conspiring to launder money as well as import and distribute cocaine. The Mexican-American was born in Laredo, on August 11, 1973. Villarreal is well-known as a former drug lord and high-ranking lieutenant of the now-disbanded Beltrán Leyva Cartel, a drug cartel and organized crime syndicate.
La Barbie listed as not in U.S custody while whereabouts remain unknown
La Barbie was captured in 2010 in Mexico and was extradited to Georgia state along with other drug lords in 2015. A year later, he plead guilty in an Atlanta federal court and was sentenced to serve a 49-year prison sentence.
Villarreal's current status, according to the Bureau of Prisons, is "not in BOP custody," despite his release date being set for July 27, 2056. The former drug lord is believed to have become a witness for federal prosecutors, according to various reports by U.S. and Mexican media outlets. It is unclear whether he has been taken into custody by any other agency.
La Barbie, named so on account of his light-colored eyes, quickly rose to become the cocaine kingpin in Mexico and was responsible for smuggling several million dollars' worth of drugs into the United States. Following his almost 50-year sentencing, he was also asked to forfeit $192 million.
Apart from being charged with conspiring to import and distribute cocaine and launder money, Villarreal was also accused of bringing trucks loaded with drugs into the Eastern United States. His restitution of $192 million was a conservative estimate of the value of the drugs he smuggled into the country.
Villarreal fell into a life of crime at a very young age
La Barbie grew up near the Mexican border in the Lone Star state that was populated by police officers, border patrols, and firefighters. He played football for Laredo United High School and became a street dealer while still playing linebacker in his teens.
He rose up the ranks slowly and soon became a high-ranking member of the Beltran Leyva gang when the leaders were still associated with Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman and the Sinaloa Cartel. When the gang leader, Arturo Beltran, was killed in a gun battle in 2009, the fight for control began among the members.
Valdez Villarreal and Beltran Leyva’s brother Hector's fight for control was so gruesome that decapitated and dismembered bodies often lined the streets in and around areas like Cuernavaca and Acapulco.
According to prosecutors, La Barbie shipped at least 180 kilos (almost 400lbs) a month to cities like New Orleans, Atlanta, and Memphis, with drugs coming in from Columbia through Mexico via speedboats or airplanes.
