Gallardo's dive into the underworld of drug trafficking truly began to materialize after he entered the Mexican police force at age 17. While he began as a Mexican Federal Judicial Police agent for the government, the corrupt department fueled his descent into the world of crime that would shape his life's legacy. The crucial turning point was his eventual position as a bodyguard for Sinaloa Governor Leopoldo Sánchez Celis, which introduced him to fellow bodyguard and known drug smuggler Pedro Áviles Pérez.
As reported by The Guardian, the pair worked together trafficking heroin and marijuana to the United States amid the heightened demand for the drugs in the 1960s and 1970s. Eventually, another piece from The Guardian noted that Pérez was killed in a violent police shootout that mirrored the violence of the era. From here, Gallardo consolidated the Mexican drug trafficking networks into the infamous Guadalajara Cartel, which disintegrated after his arrest.
