He stays in an 8-foot by 6-foot cell 24 hours a day every day. He is segregated from other inmates and is not allowed physical contact with family members when they visit.

He is allowed one 15-minute phone call a week, far less than the 300 minutes a week other inmates get. He can shower three times a week and is not allowed to exercise on the high-rise jail’s roof as other inmates can. His exercise allotment is one hour a week in an empty cell identical to his own.... He has to be handcuffed and shackled when he consults with his lawyers in the jail.

According to an affidavit filed by the warden of MCC San Diego (available on PACER), there are 55 to 65 inmates in the SHU (Special Housing Unit) and only 4 showers. SHU inmates get no outdoor exercise.

As to why the Government gave him a 25 year deal when some of his underlings got more time, there are varying opinions. His lawyer suggested the Government may have wanted to avoid a costly trial. More likely in my view:

John Kirby, a former federal prosecutor who co-wrote the 2003 indictment against Arellano Felix, said the case rested entirely on cooperating witnesses, instead of wiretaps or physical evidence. He said those cases weaken over time as witnesses die, get into more trouble or change their minds about testifying.

“This kind of case is based solely on witness testimony, and it slowly disintegrates,” Kirby said. “Maybe from the time when we put it together and now, it’s not such a great case anymore.”

Kirby also says its unlikely prosecutors were motivated by the cost of the trial.

“The government doesn’t care about the expense, the government cares about winning,” he said.

That said, the case has changed a bit since Kirby's involvement. According to a Government motion filed in 2009,

[T]he defendants are charged with 27 separate drug seizures and more than 21 murders or attempted murders, at least 14 of which occurred in Mexico. Over 174,000 documents... have been provided in discovery, as well as 50 video tapes, 32 audio tapes, 5 compact discs (4 of which contain more than 19,000 heavily-coded recordings of radio communications in Spanish covering five months), and a hard drive containing six months of wiretapped phone calls in Spanish.

And according to a motion filed by Arellano's attorney, the Government planned on calling 100 witnesses, including 21 cooperators, and the presentation of its evidence would have taken 3 months.

As to why Arellano may have accepted the deal, considering it's an effective life sentence for a 58 year old, I wouldn't be surprised if the conditions of his pre-trial detention just wore him down. Even Supermax's high security "H" unit has better living conditions (cells are 76 square feet rather than 48). Supermax also has a step-down program where the conditions get less restrictive. BOP also provides programs and television and has better medical care than pre-trial detention centers. Most detainees who know they are unlikely to be acquitted can't wait to get out of the detention centers and into a BOP facility. It is much, much worse for those housed in isolation in the SHU.

The charges in the 2003 indictment included multiple racketeering acts of murder and sought forfeiture of $289 million. A press release from the FBI on the 2009 guilty pleas of several members of the organization is here. One received a 40 year sentence, another 30 years, and another, Armando Martinez-Duarte, a Mexican police official who worked for the organization, got 18 years. One of Arellano's brothers got a life sentence in 2007. While the Government's case may have weakened since 2003, an acquittal at trial would be a longshot.

According to the LA Times, many legal experts are "perplexed" by the "light" deal the Government gave Arellano. I'm perplexed that anyone would characterize a 20 to 25 year sentence for a 58 year old as "light." This is an effective life sentence. And after he finishes serving it, he still has several years left to serve on his Mexican sentence -- in the event Mexico decides to continue the incarceration of a 78 year old man.

Even more perplexing is the Government's and MCC San Diego's claim that his solitary confinement and unduly restrictive conditions of confinement are justified by the threat of violence he poses. Here is one of 25 "trophy photos" filed in the case which were provided in discovery, showing the agents and Arellano after his extradition -- all smiles and arms around each other. He sure doesn't seem dangerous or threatening to the agents.

Larger version here, more here, here and here.

The only benefit to Arellano in this plea deal is the chance he'll live to be 78 and be released and deported to Mexico. It's not much to look forward to, but psychologically, I guess it's better than facing a probable life sentence with no release except in a pine box.