Mexico ex-drug lord returns to Mexico after release from US prison News
Mexico ex-drug lord returns to Mexico after release from US prison

[JURIST] Mexican drug lord Francisco Rafael Arellano-Felix was released from a US prison Tuesday and has returned to Mexico, according to a source at the Mexican Attorney General's office [official website, in Spanish]. Arellano-Felix ran the Arellano-Felix cartel [PBS backgrounder] until his 1993 arrest. He served more than 11 years in prison in Mexico on drug and illegal-weapons charges, before he became the first major drug dealer to be extradited from Mexico to the US [JURIST report] in 2006. He pleaded guilty [press release, PDF] in San Diego federal court in June 2007 to conspiracy to distribute cocaine and to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and was later sentenced [press release, PDF] to six years in prison. A US official said that Arellano-Felix had received credit for time served while awaiting extradition to the US. Reuters has more.

The cartel was once run by a family of seven brothers and four sisters. One of Arellano-Felix's younger brothers, Francisco Javier Arellano-Felix, is the second of the cartel leaders to face drug-related charges. In September 2007, he pleaded guilty [JURIST report] to running a continuing criminal enterprise and conspiracy to launder money.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Indian National Congress founded

The Indian National Congress (INC) was founded on December 28, 1885 in Bombay (now Mumbai), India. In subsequent decades, the so-called Congress Party would advocate for Indian independence from the UK, which was eventually achieved in 1947. The first Prime Minister of independent India, Jawaharlal Nehru, was elected as a member of the INC. Learn more about the history and founding of the Indian National Congress.

Congress recognized Pledge of Allegiance

On December 28, 1945, Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance and encouraged its recitation in schools. The Pledge was supposedly written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus Day. The words “under God” were added by Congress in 1954. The revised version of the Pledge was the subject of litigation before the United States Supreme Court originally brought by Michael Newdow, a parent who unsuccessfully objected to his daughter's school district policy requiring daily recitation of the Pledge. The court ruled that Newdow had no standing.

Nepal ends monarchy, establishes republic

On December 28, 2007, the Kingdom of Nepal's interim parliament ended the country's monarchy and established the Republic of Nepal. Free elections were held on April 10 of the following year to elect a Constituent Assembly.

Learn more about the rise of democracy in Nepal.