The ‘Narcos: Mexico’ Drug Lord Just Trademarked His Name as a Fashion Brand

The godfather of Mexico’s modern drug trade—Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo—has registered his name as a trademark, with the goal of creating a merchandise and clothing empire to capitalize on his years in the narco business. 

Félix Gallardo, who is now 76 years old and whose exploits feature in Netflix’ Narcos: Mexico series (he was played by actor Diego Luna), has been behind bars since 1989 for his alleged involvement in the murder of DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena.  

Félix Gallardo filed for the trademark in May 2019 via one of his lawyers, and it was approved on June 7 for 10 years, according to his file at the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI). 

Under Mexican trademark law, Félix Gallardo was given the right to commercialize his name for “industrial products, brands, advertising, jewelry, alcoholic beverages, footwear, hats, pulques, amulets, clothing, watches, books and office supplies, among others”, according to the registration document obtained by VICE World News. 

The request was signed by Félix Gallardo himself and his sister, María Delia Félix Medina. 

Félix Gallardo is currently serving a 37-year-sentence for co-founding the infamous Guadalajara Cartel and, along with notorious drug bosses Rafael Caro Quintero and Ernesto “Don Neto” Fonseca, allegedly participating in the murder of agent Camarena. 

Félix Gallardo and Rafael Caro Quintero have publicly denied any involvement in the assassination of Camarena. In a major score for the Mexican government, Caro Quintero was arrested on July 15 after being released in 2013 over legal technicalities. 

The torture and killing of DEA agent Camarena in 1985 continues to haunt U.S.-Mexico relations, which has taken a number of blows in recent years under the presidency of López Obrador. 

In August, the drug lord requested an early release from prison alleging a “critical medical condition”. In his first and only public interview with news outlet Telemundo, Félix Gallardo appeared weak and was using a wheelchair. On July 15, the former trafficker briefly left his jail at Puente Grande maximum security prison in the Mexican central state of Jalisco to undergo surgery to try to save one of his eyes. 

Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said then that he would not oppose Félix Gallardo’s early release but a federal judge denied his request. 

He is expected to leave prison in 2026, by which point he will be more than 80 years old. 

It is still unclear if he or his sister will try to emulate how Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán commercialized his brand.

In 2010, Alejandrina Gisselle Guzmán, Guzmán’s daughter, filed two requests with IMPI to trademark the names “Joaquín El Chapo Guzmán” and “El Chapo Guzmán”. Guzmán's name trademark applies to items like hats, toys, sporting goods, saddlery and whips, and Alejandrina’s company is called ‘El Chapo 701’, a number associated with Guzmán’s placement on the Forbes Powerful People list in 2013.

In 2020 Guzmán’s wife, Emma Coronel, also launched a fashion and clothing line, licensed by her husband. The company was registered as El Chapo Guzmán: JGL LLC.