A former Mexican federal police officer accused of trafficking drugs for the Sinaloa Cartel made his initial appearance in San Diego federal court Thursday on drug distribution, importation and money laundering charges.
Ramon Santoyo-Cristobal, 44, of Mexico City, also known as “Dr.
Wagner,” was extradited to the United States from Italy on Wednesday.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said a grand jury returned an indictment against Santoyo-Cristobal in 2016 charging him with “participating in a long-running worldwide conspiracy to traffic substantial quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin from Mexico into the United States, as well as laundering millions of dollars of drug proceeds.”
Santoyo-Cristobal remained on the lam for nearly three years before being arrested by Italian authorities in 2019, then contested extradition until an Italian court ordered his extradition this summer.
Santoyo-Cristobal arrived in San Diego on Wednesday and is next due in
court Tuesday for a detention hearing.
