The Most Dangerous Mob and Cartel Members in History

Benjamin Arellano Félix was one of the founders of the Tijuana Cartel, a violent organization that dominated Mexico’s northwestern border in the 1990s. Alongside his brothers, he controlled drug routes into California and fought bloody wars against rival cartels.

Known for extreme brutality, the Arellano Félix family used corruption and terror to hold power. Benjamin acted as the cartel’s strategist, overseeing finances and logistics while others carried out the violence. Captured in 2002, he was extradited to the U.S. in 2011. His fall marked the decline of Tijuana’s once-feared empire.