HomeNewsBriefCaptured Sinaloa Cartel Henchman 'Responsible for 350 Murders'
BRIEF

Captured Sinaloa Cartel Henchman 'Responsible for 350 Murders'

MEXICO / 30 AUG 2013 BY MARGUERITE CAWLEY EN

Police in Mexico have captured the alleged head of Sinaloa Cartel operations in Chihuahua, who is closely linked to cartel leader "El Chapo" Guzman, and is believed to be responsible for at least 350 homicides.

Mario Nuñez Meza, alias "El Mayito" or "M10," arrested on August 28, was one of the Mexican government's 122 most wanted men and a target of the international police body, Interpol, as well as the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). He has an outstanding warrant for his arrest on drug trafficking charges in Texas, and is the subject of at least 30 investigations according to officials cited by El Informador.

Nuñez is believed to be responsible for the murder of over 350 people, many of whom were found in 23 clandestine graves in Durango state, as well as the killing of three anti-kidnapping agents in Chihuahua, reported Milenio.

He began his career as a municipal police officer in the state capital of Ciudad Juarez, but later deserted and joined the ranks of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's Sinaloa Cartel.

InSight Crime Analysis

Border state Chihuahua is one of Mexico's murder hotspots. In 2008, the Sinaloa Cartel invaded the state's biggest city, Ciudad Juarez, and waged war on the Juarez Cartel, earning the place the title of "most dangerous city in the world."

SEE ALSO: Juarez After the War

Nuñez, from the mountains of Durango, was one of several leaders of this offensive and gained notoriety for his ultra-violence -- locally his name is associated with thousands of deaths. In 2011, he was also reportedly among a group of Sinaloa Cartel "extremists" who were apparently targeted by both the cartel leadership and the government, retreated to Durango and were thought to have been "cleaned out" by July 2010.

However, according to Mexican media, Nuñez continues to be one of Chapo Guzman's "men of confidence," and also a link to US security forces, providing information about Sinaloa Cartel enemies, the Juarez Cartel and its Zetas-aligned armed branch "La Linea." to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Nuñez's capture is, however, another of recent indications -- among them the US blacklisting of five Sinaloa associates and the arrest of another cartel head in the region -- that authorities may be increasingly targeting the mighty cartel, making for a tardy response to long running accusations that both US and Mexican officials have favored and protected the organization.

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

FENTANYL / 22 NOV 2022

Authorities in the United States have sanctioned a Mexican criminal group for trafficking illicit fentanyl into the country.

COCAINE / 25 APR 2022

Mexican authorities have arrested a leader of the initially Guerrero-based Los Rojos crime group in the neighboring state of Michoacán,…

CHINA AND CRIME / 14 APR 2022

The full threat posed to Mexico's biodiversity by both Mexican and Chinese organized crime networks has been revealed in a…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

All Eyes on Ecuador

2 JUN 2023

Our coverage of organized crime in Ecuador continues to be a valuable resource for international and local news outlets. Internationally, Reuters cited our 2022 Homicide Round-Up,…

WORK WITH US

Open Position: Social Media and Engagement Strategist

27 MAY 2023

InSight Crime is looking for a Social Media and Engagement Strategist who will be focused on maintaining and improving InSight Crime’s reputation and interaction with its audiences through publishing activities…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Receives Great Reception

27 MAY 2023

Several of InSight Crime’s most recent articles about Venezuela have been well received by regional media. Our article on Venezuela’s colectivos expanding beyond their political role to control access to…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Chemical Precursor Report Continues

19 MAY 2023

For the second week in a row, our investigation into the flow of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of synthetic drugs in Mexico has been cited by multiple regional media…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Chemical Precursor Report Widely Cited

THE ORGANIZATION / 12 MAY 2023

We are proud to see that our recently published investigation into the supply chain of chemical precursors feeding Mexico’s synthetic drug production has been warmly received.