HomeNewsBriefMexican Gang, Linked to Facundo Cabral Murder, Sentenced in Nicaragua

The head of Mexican drug trafficking organization the Charros, which has been linked to investigations into the murder of Argentine folk singer Facundo Cabral, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison by a Nicaraguan court.

On April 13, a judge in Managua sentenced former Mexican federal police officer Gabriel Maldonado Soler, who headed the Charros, to 30 years in prison for drug trafficking and money laundering. Fourteen other members of the group -- one Mexican, one Salvadoran and several Nicaraguans -- have been sentenced to between six and 30 years in prison, a court official told reporters.

The group reportedly worked with the Mexican Familia Michoacana gang, trafficking drugs from Panama through Central America to Mexico.

Nicaraguan and Costa Rican authorities dismantled the Charros in operations spanning late 2011 and early 2012.

InSight Crime Analysis

The Charros are another example of Mexican criminal organizations' control over the drug trade through Central America. In the nineties, when Colombian trafficking groups were more powerful, they would generally control the shipment of the product north to Mexico. Now, with Colombia's improved security situation, Mexican groups are stronger, and often handle the shipping of drugs all the way up from the Andes, raking in a bigger share of the profits.

In both Nicaragua and Costa Rica, most of the trade is handled by foreign trafficking organizations rather than home-grown groups -- particularly Mexicans.

The Charros are also significant because they are thought to have had dealings with Henry Fariñas, the Nicaraguan nightclub owner who was the target of a hit that killed Argentine folk singer Facundo Cabral in Guatemala last year. The investigation into Cabral's death has spanned at least four countries, with the main suspect in the case arrested in Colombia, accused of ties to the Rastrojos and the Sinaloa Cartel.

Fariñas was arrested in Nicaragua and is currently facing drug trafficking charges. He is alleged to have helped the Charros move cocaine through Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Given the links of those involved in the case to various transnational criminal organizations, it now seems likely that Fariñas was targeted in a drug-related hit.

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

CHILE / 25 AUG 2021

A series of seizures and drug raids across Latin America have revealed how previously niche high-strength marijuana products are establishing…

MEXICO / 23 MAY 2022

Mexico is seeing a rapid spike in oil theft across much of the country, with observers divided as to whether…

COCAINE / 8 JUL 2021

A US investigation has shed light on the alleged participation of Guatemalan soldiers in a cocaine smuggling network linked to…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Continues to be Highlighted

3 MAR 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-director Jeremy McDermott was the featured guest on the Americas Quarterly podcast, where he provided an expert overview of the changing dynamics…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela's Organized Crime Top 10 Attracts Attention

24 FEB 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published its ranking of Venezuela’s ten organized crime groups to accompany the launch of the Venezuela Organized Crime Observatory. Read…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime on El País Podcast

10 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-founder, Jeremy McDermott, was among experts featured in an El País podcast on the progress of Colombia’s nascent peace process.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Interviewed by Associated Press

3 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime’s Co-director Jeremy McDermott was interviewed by the Associated Press on developments in Haiti as the country continues its prolonged collapse. McDermott’s words were republished around the world,…

THE ORGANIZATION

Escaping Barrio 18

27 JAN 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published an investigation charting the story of Desafío, a 28-year-old Barrio 18 gang member who is desperate to escape gang life. But there’s one problem: he’s…