Sonora on high alert after arrest of Sinaloa…

Feliciano R. alias “El Cuza” was arrested by Mexican forces in Sonora on October 6 (Credit: Image via infobae.com)

ALABAMA – After weeks of cartel wars that have caused more than 150 deaths in less than a month in northern Mexico, the Secretariat of Security and Civil Protection (SSPC) announced on October 6 the arrest of a man with strong ties to the Sinaloa Cartel.

As the country waits for new President Claudia Sheinbaum to unveil her security plan on October 8, members of the Mexican armed forces have dealt a blow to criminal organizations following the arrest of Feliciano R, known as ‘El Cuza’, a regional leader with ties to the The Sinaloa Cartel is known for its role in smuggling drugs into the United States and trafficking migrants.

News of the arrest first appeared on social media, indicating that a man named Javier Feliciano had been captured. But an investigation by Infobae Mexico confirmed that the arrested man was actually ‘El Cuza’, the alleged leader of a group known as ‘Los Salazar’, which controls parts of Chihuahua, Sonora and Sinaloa.

Although the group has strong ties to the Sinaloa Cartel, “Los Salazar” is a clique independent of the cartel and with its own armed wing.

According to information from InSight Crime, the group was founded in the 1990s by Adán and José Crispín Salazar Zamorano. They started with the marijuana trade in Navojoa, but soon spread throughout the state of Sonora.

Mexican government data shows that the violence of ‘Los Salazar’ in their drug trade displaced more than 1,500 people from the provinces of Sonoyta and Chínipas in 2015.

The Sinaloa Cartel cabal is known for targeting journalists who report on their illegal activities. The group has been linked to the 2017 murders of Miroslava Breach Velducea and activist Nepomuceno Moreno Núñez.

In 2022, journalist Héctor de Mauleón published a column referring to the family ties of “El Cuza” with Adelmo Nieblas, also known as “El G3”, who has been identified as one of the persons responsible for the distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine in Caborca and Sonoyta. .

The arrest of ‘El Cuza’ comes at a time when violence in the north of the country has spiraled out of control. The situation has reached such a level that on October 2, members of the local police in Culiacán were taken off the streets after the military seized their weapons for inspection.

The Mexican military has a history of confiscating local police weapons when they suspect officers are working with drug gangs or carrying unregistered firearms to avoid liability. A similar weapons seizure took place in Cuernavaca in 2018 to ensure “reliable security forces.”