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Ramón Arellano Félix

Mexican drug trafficker (1964-2002)

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General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 20, 2026
Entity authorityQ1976742 ↗
Source-derived summary

Ramón Eduardo Arellano Félix (31 August 1964 – 10 February 2002) was a Mexican drug lord who alongside his brothers founded and led the Tijuana Cartel (a.k.a. the Arellano-Félix Organization). He was the leader of the enforcement wing of the organization until his death on 10 February 2002.

Biography

Standing 189 cm (6 ft 2+1⁄2 in) tall and weighing 114.7 kg (253 lb), Ramon Arellano Félix was allegedly one of the most ruthless members of the cartel and was a suspect in various murders. Arellano Félix ordered the 1998 massacre of nineteen members of the Castro Ramírez family outside of Ensenada, Baja California. The family was related to an alleged associate of the Arellano-Félix Cartel, and oversaw the production and transport of cannabis to Tecate and Tijuana. By murdering the Ramírez family, the Arellano-Felix Cartel eliminated the last obstacle to them taking full control of the area. The massacre broke an unspoken pact amongst druglords: "don't touch the family" (el de a la familia no se le toca).

While in hiding in Los Angeles in 1995, Arellano Félix was unwittingly the subject of a televised prank when he was approached outside Mann's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood by Rupert Jee, who was filming a segment for the Late Show with David Letterman.

On 18 September 1997, Ramon Arellano Félix became the 451st fugitive to be placed on the Ten Most Wanted list.

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Ramón Arellano Félix” as mexican drug trafficker (1964-2002). Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewA dependable orientation record for establishing vocabulary, names and a first evidence trail. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1964, 2002, 1998, 1995—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1964-08-31. The account is most persuasive where Ramón, Arellano and Félix can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as mexican drug trafficker (1964-2002). Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 20, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1976742. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1964, 2002, 1998 and 1995.

Critical limits

A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

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The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Ramón Arellano Félix”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Ramón Arellano Félix primary sources, Ramón Arellano Félix archive and Ramón research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Ramón Arellano Félix” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.