Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo: Rise and Fall of the Godfather

History Know
4 min readJan 13, 2024

Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo, also known as “El Jefe de Jefes” or “The Godfather,” is a notorious figure in the history of the Mexican drug trade. His life is a complex tapestry of power, crime, and ultimate downfall. In this article, we’ll delve into the intriguing narrative of Felix Gallardo’s rise to power and the critical mistakes that led to his eventual arrest, drawing insights from two detailed texts on his life and downfall.

The Ascent to Power:

Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo was born on January 8, 1946, on a ranch in Bella Vista, Sinaloa. Despite growing up in poverty, he managed to graduate from high school, showcasing an early determination to overcome obstacles. His aspirations for a college education took a detour, leading him to join the police force at the age of 17. Working as a Mexican Federal Judicial police agent and later as a family bodyguard for Sinaloa Governor Leopoldo Sanchez Celis, Felix gained insights into the corridors of power.

His insatiable hunger for wealth and a chance meeting with a drug smuggler named Pedro Aviles Perez marked the turning point in Felix’s life. Perez recruited him into the drug trade, setting the stage for Felix to eventually take over the business after Perez’s death in 1978. The Felix Gallardo organization emerged, later evolving…

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