Sinaloa Cartel Plaza Boss Known as 'El Chabelo' Killed By Mexican Police After Shootout at Cock Fighting Ring

Four men died in the Mexican state of Colima after police officers confronted a group of civilians who opened fire at a clandestine cock fighting ring in the city of Manzanillo. Among those dead was José Isabel "N," the alleged plaza boss for the Sinaloa Cartel in the region.

Local reports detailed that the confrontation took place on Dec. 15 in the residential neighborhood of Las Parotas, just north of Manzanillo. Witnesses say that a group of armed civilians entered the ring and started shooting at the crowd, leaving two people dead.

Although they fled the crime scene, authorities were able to locate the assailants thanks to a joint operation mounted with the help of local and state law enforcement, as well as Navy personnel. In order to avoid being caught, the group of civilians started another shootout that ended up with two of them dead.

Among those dead was a man identified as "El Chabelo," who authorities believe was a plaza boss for the Sinaloa Cartel in the city of Manzanillo. Although no supplemental information has been released, "El Chabelo" allegedly had an arrest warrant for qualified homicide.

The Colima Prosecutors Office said that apart from being a plaza boss in Manzanillo, "El Chabelo" was one of the biggest generators of violence in the region. As of Dec. 17, authorities are yet to release any new information regarding arrests nor the number of people injured during the shootouts.

Colima, one of Mexico's most dangerous states

According to data from the National Public Security System (SESNSP), the small entity located along Mexico's Pacific coastline has seen 623 intentional homicides between January and October of this year.

Colima —a town smaller than Delaware— has one of the highest murder rates not only in Mexico but in the world. Data from SESNSP indicates that 105 murders take place per every 100,000 inhabitants.

So far this year, Colima's murder rate is almost five times higher than the average murder rate in all of Mexico (22 per 100,000 people).

With November and December data still to be taken into account, the National Public Security System reports that 26,019 people have been victims of intentional homicides or feminicides, surpassing the 25,756 such homicides reported by the agency in all of 2023.