California Man Detained in Mexico, Wife Claims He's Mistaken for Cartel Kingpin
Joel Rene Cardenas Carrillo was arrested in Colima after attending a soccer match, with authorities alleging fuel theft, but his wife maintains his innocence.
A U.S. citizen from Visalia, California, is being held in Mexico on accusations his wife insists are baseless. Joel Rene Cardenas Carrillo, 46, was arrested on Aug. 12 in Manzanillo, Colima, after attending a soccer match. Mexican authorities allege Cardenas Carrillo and several other men were involved in illegally extracting fuel from a pipeline.
His wife, Veronica Sanchez, stated that her husband traveled to Mexico in July to visit his father and that the trip has turned into a monthslong ordeal with him still detained. Sanchez has launched a GoFundMe campaign to secure legal assistance for her husband, asserting that he is a U.S. citizen who did not commit the alleged crime.
According to Sanchez, Cardenas Carrillo was arrested immediately after leaving the soccer match. Mexican media reports have identified the alleged crime as the theft of hydrocarbons from a Pemex pipeline in the Tapeixtles area of Manzanillo. Cardenas Carrillo has resided in the U.S. for over two decades, and his wife and two children are also American citizens.
Sanchez has traveled to Mexico in an effort to gather information and secure her husband's release, but she reported difficulties in obtaining answers and finding legal representation. She told YourCentralValley that her husband has been tortured and that authorities lack proof of his involvement in the alleged fuel theft.
Reports indicate that Cardenas Carrillo's next court hearing is scheduled for Oct. 20. The family is seeking financial support for legal expenses, highlighting the emotional and financial strain of the situation.