CHICAGO — An alleged drug trafficker charged with distributing heroin in the Chicago area was arraigned today in federal court in Chicago after his extradition from Mexico.
ADÁN CASARRUBIAS SALGADO, also known as “El Tomate,” “Tomatito,” “Star,” and “Silver,” was charged in an indictment unsealed today in the Northern District of Illinois with conspiracy, drug trafficking, and money laundering offenses. The indictment alleges that Casarrubias Salgado distributed multiple kilograms of heroin in the Chicago area in 2014 and transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars in proceeds back to Mexico.
Casarrubias Salgado, 53, of Guerrero, Mexico, was extradited to the United States on Thursday and remains detained in federal custody. He pleaded not guilty during his arraignment this afternoon before U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly in Chicago. A status hearing was set for June 30, 2022, at 1:30 p.m.
The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Robert J. Bell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Marshals Service, the DEA Mexico Country Office, and the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney James P. Durkin.
This indictment is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, and other criminal offenders that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The charges in the indictment carry a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in federal prison and a maximum of life. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.