Officials from Mexico's Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional (SEDENA) confirmed the arrest of a Cártel del Pacífico leader who is also the right-hand man of the security chief for "Los Chapitos," a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel engulfed in a war for control of the territory.
Members of Mexico's armed forces coordinated both aerial and ground attacks near the community of La Guamuchilera, Sinaloa, in which five suspects that carried large-caliber artillery were arrested last week.
Among those detained was Luis Alberto "N," also known as "El Cañas," who allegedly led a sector of the Cártel del Pacífico. In addition to his role with the criminal group, "El Cañas" is believed to be the right-hand man of Humberto Figueroa, alias "El 27," the security chief for the Sinaloa cartel faction known as "Los Chapitos."
SEDENA confirmed that, on top of the five arrests, 11 ammunition clips, 524 gun cartridges, two grenades and two vehicles were also seized during the operation.
Members of Mexico's Ministry of National Defense believe the five suspects arrested in the raids are all linked to the faction led by Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán's sons, who for over a month have been involved in turf wars with "La Mayiza" to gain control over territory and drug smuggling routes in northern Mexico.
Mmembers of the military confirmed the arrest of another key member of the criminal organization in late September. Mario Alexander Gámez., a.k.a "El Piyi" was captured in Culiacán during an operation carried out by the army and the National Guard. "El Piyi" is allegedly a close collaborator of Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar, one of the sons of "El Chapo" and one of the current leaders of "Los Chapitos."
During that operation, five other alleged Sinaloa cartel gunmen who were traveling with Gámez in a convoy of vehicles were also arrested, according to reports.
Who is "El 27?"
After the arrest of Néstor Isidro Pérez Salas, a.k.a "El Nini" in November of last year, Jorge Humberto Figueroa Benítez also known as "La Perris" became the cartel's security chief. Both Salas and Benítez form part of a group called "Los Ninis," a particularly violent group of security personnel for "Los Chapitos."
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security catalogs Salas as one of the men responsible for massive production and distribution of fentanyl in the U.S.
Earlier this month, "El 27" was close to being detained during a raid coordinated by the Mexican army, but he managed to escape. Five days later, authorities believe he was responsible of orchestrating an attack against the Mexican army in Sinaloa.
On April of last year, a federal grand jury in New York indicted "El 27" and others, charging them with engaging in a Continuing Criminal Enterprise, Fentanyl Importation Conspiracy, and Fentanyl Trafficking Conspiracy, between other charges.
The U.S. Department of State is currently offering a reward of up to $1 million for information that leads to his arrest.
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