Mexican authorities arrested a man known as the top enforcer for the Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel. The arrest comes as Mexico continues to face mounting political pressure over the fentanyl crisis in the United States.
On Wednesday afternoon, a special forces group from Mexico’s Army raided a home in the La Rivera neighborhood in Culiacan, Sinaloa — a stronghold of the Sinaloa Cartel. After a short skirmish and chase, they arrested Nestor Isidro “El Nini” Perez Salas. Officials described the man as the security chief for Los Chapitos. He is currently wanted by the U.S. Department of Justice with a $3,000,000 reward on his head.
After the arrest, authorities moved Perez Salas to the airport in Culiacan and flew him out to Mexico City, where federal authorities are holding him pending various court proceedings. It remains unclear when extradition hearings will be taking place since U.S. federal authorities want Perez Salas on drug conspiracy charges.
The word Nini is used in Mexico to describe a young man who does not work or attend school. The nickname follows a trend used by Los Chapitos, who are trying to identify themselves as a younger generation in the drug trade.
The Chapitos is the name used by the sons of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, the former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel who is currently in a U.S. prison serving a life sentence. Since assuming power, Los Chapitos has drawn much controversy for being quick to resort to violence and also for taking over the production and distribution of fentanyl.
El Nini’s arrest comes just days after Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) visited Badiraguato, Sinaloa, a place credited with being the birthplace of the Sinaloa Cartel. Lopez Obrador has been harshly criticized for having visited that small town at least six times during his term as president, with his political opposition widely accusing him of serving crime bosses there.
As Breitbart Texas has reported, the U.S. Department of Justice blames the Chapitos for the brunt of the fentanyl crisis in the United States.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.
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