A federal judge has authorized José Antonio Cortés Huerta, alias “Titán,” to leave his residence for six hours a day while awaiting trial. This modification to his precautionary measures follows his arrest as an alleged fuel-theft operator linked to the Northeast Cartel and comes amidst ongoing legal proceedings regarding his health.
The case is part of a broader investigation into fuel smuggling from the United States. As part of this inquiry, federal authorities detected a vessel in the port of Altamira, Tamaulipas, in March 2025 carrying approximately 10 million liters of diesel; the fuel had allegedly entered the country illegally under false declarations intended to evade tax and customs controls.
Dafne Miroslava Carrillo de León, the Second District Judge in Ciudad Victoria, ordered a new hearing to review the mandatory pretrial detention imposed on Cortés Huerta and set a 48-hour deadline to determine whether the measure should be maintained or altered. The ruling allows him to leave his residence for up to six hours daily, provided he does not leave the country.
Federal sources maintained that the judge overstepped her authority by ruling on a precautionary measure issued by a court in a different judicial circuit. The defense had filed an *amparo* (constitutional protection) petition, arguing that the accused’s rights had been violated.
According to his lawyers, the 39-year-old Cortés Huerta suffers from heart problems and a serious medical condition that reportedly includes probable rhabdomyolysis, hypertension, and a risk of acute kidney failure. The defense argued that he could not remain in pretrial detention within a standard correctional facility and required hospital care.
Prior to this new ruling, a federal judge in Nuevo León had already authorized his transfer from prison to the University Hospital, where he remained under guard due to his medical condition. As of yesterday, he was still being guarded by federal forces while recovering.
