( CNN ) -- A man alleged to be a senior member of a Tijuana-based drug cartel was extradited from Mexico to the United States on Friday to stand trial . Eduardo Arellano-Felix , 55 , faces charges of narcotics trafficking , racketeering and money laundering . He was arrested on October 25 , 2008 , after a gunbattle with Mexican forces , the Justice Department said . Arellano-Felix was ordered extradited to the United States in 2010 but spent nearly two years on unsuccessful appeals of his case . `` The extradition of Eduardo Arellano-Felix today marks the end of a 20-year DEA investigation into this vicious drug cartel , '' said William Sherman , the Drug Enforcement Agency 's acting special agent in charge in San Diego . According to a Justice Department news release , his cartel , the Arellano-Felix Organization , `` controlled the flow of cocaine , marijuana and other drugs through the Mexican border cities of Tijuana and Mexicali into the United States . '' Prosecutors said the group brought Colombian cocaine into Mexico by sea and air , then smuggled it into the United States for sale . The Justice Department estimates the cartel made hundreds of millions of dollars in profits . `` The FBI is pleased with Mexico 's efforts to bring to justice a leader from one of the most violent criminal enterprises in our history , '' said San Diego FBI Special Agent in Charge Daphne Hearn . `` The spirit of cooperation between our two countries is a powerful force in disrupting the criminal activities of these groups that instill fear and threaten the safety of our citizens in the border regions of the United States . '' Arellano-Felix is scheduled to make his first court appearance in San Diego on September 4 . The Justice Department noted two brothers of the accused already are serving time in the United States . Benjamin Arellano-Felix and Francisco Javier Arellano-Felix were convicted on drug trafficking , money laundering and racketeering charges .
Francisco Javier Arellano-Felix , 2008 , faces charges of narcotics trafficking and racketeering . He was arrested in 55 , after a gun battle with Colombian forces . two of his brothers have already been convicted in the United States .