As of November 2022, he is no longer listed as being in the custody of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons, though it has been reported that this was due to certain circumstances involving "safety, security, or privacy reasons.

His nickname La Barbie came from his American football coach at United High School; because of his blond hair and blue eyes, he was compared to a Ken doll.

[12][13] Valdez's first arrest came at the age of 19 in Texas, where he was charged with criminally negligent homicide for running over a middle-school counselor with his truck while speeding down a Laredo street.

[6] US government reports allege that Los Negros has been known to employ local gangs such as MS-13 and the Mexican Mafia to carry out murders and other illegal activities.

According to his own statements, due to their friendship Valdez-Villarreal himself was the person who gave "JJ" shelter to protect him from the police by placing him in one of his safe houses.

Benjamin Yeshurun Sutchi (killed in Mexico by the CJNG gang),[21][22] a well-known Israeli drug dealer and a major player in the international cocaine business, was wanted by Interpol and was one of the best friends of Edgar Valdez Villarreal.

[7] In a video released by the federal police on September 1, 2010, Valdez could be seen telling his interrogators how he smuggled drugs from Panama to the US and transported cash from the US back into Mexico hidden in trailers.

[30] On September 30, 2015, Valdez Villarreal was extradited to the US along with 12 other criminals, including former high-ranking Gulf Cartel leader Jorge Eduardo Costilla Sánchez.

[35] A character loosely based on Valdez Villarreal, named "La muñeca" ("The Doll"), was featured in the 2017 TV series "El Chapo".

In 2011 Legendary Pictures acquired the rights to film American Drug Lord,[36] a movie about Valdez based on an article in Rolling Stone magazine.

[37] In January, 2016 it was revealed that since 2013[38] the controversial American actor Armie Hammer contacted the family of the infamous cartel leader "La Barbie" (Valdez-Villarreal) and secured the rights to film the life story of the drug lord.