A Mexican national who headed the Gulf Cartel from 2003 to 2012 has been sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty previously in a U.S. court to drug smuggling conspiracy

A Mexican national who headed the Gulf Cartel from 2003 to 2012 was sentenced on Thursday to life in prison and ordered to pay a $5 million forfeiture after pleading guilty in a U.S. court to drug smuggling conspiracy.

A federal judge in Brownsville, Texas, sentenced Jorge “El Cos” Costilla-Sanchez, 51, for conspiring to ship cocaine and marijuana from Mexico into the United States. 

Costilla-Sanchez was arrested in 2012 in Mexico and extradited to the U.S. in 2015. He entered his plea in September 2017.

U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. noted that Costilla-Sanchez led an organization that used guns and intimidation to maintain control, resorting to violence and killing to keep power.

“This was a long but very important case to the district and especially our partners in Brownsville,” said U.S. Attorney Jennifer Lowery in a statement. “The life sentence speaks for itself. Justice has now been served.”