Latest news with #JorgeFigueroa
Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Final moments of El Chapo's cartel strongman revealed in haunting audio
A high-ranking drug cartel leader crumbled and begged his squadron of 'sicarios' not to leave him behind as the Mexican Army zeroed in for an intense shootout. Sinaloa Cartel security chief Jorge 'La Perris' Figueroa was killed inside a home that doubled as the criminal organization's drug stash house in Navolato, a city in the western state of Sinaloa, during an Army special unit raid last Friday. Figueroa, who was wanted by the United States Department of Justice, implored the cartel's hitman, nicknamed '37,' to help him escape, according to a leaked conversation obtained by Mexican journalist José Luis Montenegro. 'My buddy, my buddy, 37,' Figueroa calmly said in Spanish through a two-way radio. 'Go ahead, go ahead, listen, give me the exact location so I can hit you there with the gang,' the hitman replied. A frightened Figueroa could then be heard saying, 'Don't leave me alone, dude.' The cartel henchman then assured his boss that they were not going to leave him behind. Figueroa seemed to grow tired and worried that he would be captured as he waited for his squadron of killers to rescue him. A Mexican soldier was captured on video firing towards a target during the raid of a home where they killed two Sinaloa Cartel members, including Jorge Figueroa, who was in charge of providing security for the two sons of Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán '37, I'm f****** around the corner,' said Figueroa, referencing the cartel's hideout. 'What are you scared of or something, damn it? If those f****** soldiers are f****** already here, damn it.' 'Come on, man, come closer, man, are you not that tough, come on,' Figueroa said before the audio cuts off. The soldiers eventually got to Figueroa, whose body was seen in pictures lying on a bed next to an assault rifle. Mexico's public safety secretary Omar García Harfuch broke news of Figueroa's death on X on Friday and said that the Army was on the scene to arrest Figueroa before they were met with gunfire. García Harfuch said Figueroa was 'one of the main generators of violence' in the state of Sinaloa. Ovidio Guzmán and his brothers took over the Sinaloa Cartel operations after their father, Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán was extradited to the United States, where he is serving a life sentence Figueroa was responsible for overseeing the security of Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán's two sons, Iván Guzmán and Jesús Guzmán, who operate the Sinaloa Cartel faction known as 'Los Chapitos.' García Harfuch said Figueroa led the cartel's war-like response against the military and police following the arrest of El Chapo's son, Ovidio Guzmán, at his home in the Sinaloa town of Culiacán in October 2019. The daylight assault left 13 people dead before then-President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador greenlighted Ovidio's release despite an extradition request from the United States. Figueroa was wanted by the United States government, which was offering a $1 million reward for information leading to his arrest and/or conviction. According to the Department of Justice, Figueroa was allegedly in charge of setting up the security details for 'Los Chapitos,' a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel led by El Chapo's fugitive sons, Ivan Guzmán and Jesús Guzmán. Figueroa shared cartel security duties with Nestor 'El Nini' Pérez, who was arrested and extradited to the U.S. on May 25, 2024. He also oversaw El Nini's security and was in charge of coordinating his fentanyl business. Figueroa and other Sinaloa Cartel members were indicted by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of New York in April 2023. Montenegro revealed that the Mexican Army learned of Figueroa's whereabouts after the Sinaloa Cartel's 'La Mayiza' faction, which is led by Ismael 'Mayito Flaco' Zambada, whose father Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada cofounded the organization with El Chapo, shared the location. Figueroa, Montenegro claimed, had been in the process of turning himself after conversation with Mexico and United States officials.
Daily Mail
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Cartel member who oversaw security for El Chapo's sons is killed in shootout with Mexican military
A high-ranking leader Sinaloa Cartel leader who was responsible for the security detail of Joaquín ' El Chapo ' Guzmán's sons was killed in a gun battle with the Mexican military. Jorge 'El Perris' Figueroa was shot dead Friday during a raid at a home in Novolato, a city in the western state of Sinaloa, public safety secretary Omar Garcia Harfuch revealed in an X post. Garcia Harfuch said that a unit of Army soldiers were on the scene to arrest Figueroa when they were greeted with gunfire. Video footage recorded by residents showed military helicopters flying over the area and a soldier lying on the ground and firing at a target. A photo leaked on social media showed Figueroa's lifeless body covered in blood and lying on top of a bed in his home. A member of Figueroa's team, José 'El Chema' Pérez, was also killed the shootout. Renown crime journalist Carlos Jímenez reported that Pérez had been removed from the Mexico City police after he was photographed in January 2021 meeting with Vicente Rodríguez, who at the time was one of the capital's most wanted drug traffickers. Figueroa was described as 'one of the main generators of violence' in the state of Sinaloa was accused of leading the cartel's war-like response in the Sinaloa town of Culiacán against the military and police following the arrest of El Chapo's son, Ovidio Guzmán, in October 2019. The daylight assault left 13 people dead before then- President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador greenlighted Ovidio's release despite an extradition request from the United States. Figueroa was wanted by the United States government, which was offering a $1 million reward for information leading to his arrest and/or conviction. According to the Department of Justice, Figueroa was allegedly in charge of setting up the security details for 'Los Chapitos,' a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel led by El Chapo's fugitive sons, Ivan Guzmán and Jesús Guzmán. Figueroa shared cartel security duties with Nestor 'El Nini' Pérez - who was arrested and extradited to the U.S. on May 25, 2024 - and also oversaw his security and was in charge of coordinating Pérez's fentanyl business. Figueroa and other Sinaloa Cartel members were indicted by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of New York in April 2023. They were charged with conspiracy to import and traffic fentanyl, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, continuing criminal enterprise and money laundering. Figueroa's death comes three weeks after Ovidio's mother and El Chapo's former wife, his sister and brother-in-law and 14 other family members allegedly presented themselves to federal agents at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. The meeting took place three days after Ovidio entered a change of plea in an Illinois federal court. Video footage showed multiple adults and children holding their luggage as they allegedly met with the FBI - which would be the latest sign that the jailed notorious drug lord's son has flipped on the transnational drug trafficking organization.
CNN
25-05-2025
- CNN
Key cartel member with $1 million US bounty on his head is killed, says Mexican government
Jorge Humberto Figueroa Benítez, identified by the United States government as a key member of the 'Los Chapitos' criminal organization, died during an operation aimed at capturing him in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, the country's Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection Omar García Harfuch said Saturday. The operation against Figueroa Benitez, known by the nickname 'El Perris,' took place in Navolato, 32 kilometers (19 miles) from Culiacán, the state's capital, according to local media. The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was offering up to $1 million for Figueroa Benitez, who was wanted for alleged federal crimes, including conspiracy to import and traffic fentanyl, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and money laundering conspiracy. In 2019, the city of Culiacán was the scene of a violent episode known as the 'Culiacanazo,' which involved violent armed clashes following the temporary capture of Ovidio Guzmán Lopez, one of the sons of Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán. Ovidio was later released by Mexican authorities, arguing that it was to 'save lives.' After being extradited to the US in 2023, Ovidio Guzmán pleaded not guilty to charges of drug trafficking and money laundering, although now, according to court documents reviewed by CNN, he is expected to change that plea. In early May, a US government source told CNN that several of his relatives crossed the border from Mexico into the United States at the San Ysidro port of entry, reportedly as part of an agreement with the US Department of Justice. CNN does not know the whereabouts of these people or whether they entered any witness protection program. CNN has requested comment from US Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Justice.
CNN
25-05-2025
- CNN
Key cartel member with $1 million US bounty on his head is killed, says Mexican government
Jorge Humberto Figueroa Benítez, identified by the United States government as a key member of the 'Los Chapitos' criminal organization, died during an operation aimed at capturing him in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, the country's Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection Omar García Harfuch said Saturday. The operation against Figueroa Benitez, known by the nickname 'El Perris,' took place in Navolato, 32 kilometers (19 miles) from Culiacán, the state's capital, according to local media. The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was offering up to $1 million for Figueroa Benitez, who was wanted for alleged federal crimes, including conspiracy to import and traffic fentanyl, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and money laundering conspiracy. In 2019, the city of Culiacán was the scene of a violent episode known as the 'Culiacanazo,' which involved violent armed clashes following the temporary capture of Ovidio Guzmán Lopez, one of the sons of Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán. Ovidio was later released by Mexican authorities, arguing that it was to 'save lives.' After being extradited to the US in 2023, Ovidio Guzmán pleaded not guilty to charges of drug trafficking and money laundering, although now, according to court documents reviewed by CNN, he is expected to change that plea. In early May, a US government source told CNN that several of his relatives crossed the border from Mexico into the United States at the San Ysidro port of entry, reportedly as part of an agreement with the US Department of Justice. CNN does not know the whereabouts of these people or whether they entered any witness protection program. CNN has requested comment from US Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Justice.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Yahoo
Cartel leader with $1 million U.S. bounty on his head killed in Mexico
A leader of a notorious Mexican drug cartel who had a bounty on his head in the United States has died in a clash with army troops, authorities said Saturday. Sinaloa state, where the powerful cartel of the same name is based, is enduring a war between two rival factions that has left some 1,200 people dead since September. Jorge Humberto Figueroa — who went by the nickname "El Perris" — was shot and killed Friday in a raid carried out to arrest him, public safety secretary Omar Garcia Harfuch wrote on social media. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) had been offering up to $1 million for information leading to his arrest on suspicion of fentanyl trafficking and money laundering. Figueroa was one of the masterminds of an infamous clash with the authorities in 2019 in the city of Culiacan, Harfuch said. In that case, cartel members fought security forces who had arrested Ovidio Guzman, a son of Sinaloa cartel co-founder Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. Mexican authorities controversially released Ovidio Guzman at the time, saying they wanted to avoid further bloodshed. But he ultimately was re-arrested in 2023 and extradited to the United States, where he remains in custody. Earlier this month, Harfuch confirmed that 17 family members of cartel leaders crossed into the U.S. recently as part of a deal between Ovidio Guzman and the Trump administration. El Chapo's ex-wife, Griselda Lopez Perez, and her daughter were among the family members to enter the U.S., local media reported. Mexican press reports said Figueroa belonged to a Sinaloa cartel faction run by the sons of the older Guzman, who is serving a life sentence in the United States. This group has been fighting another faction led by heirs of cartel co-founder Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, who was lured to the United States in a sting operation in 2024 and arrested. The newspaper Reforma said Figueroa was head of security for the faction led by Guzman's sons — known as the Chapitos. According to a 2023 indictment by the U.S. Justice Department, the Chapitos and their cartel associates used corkscrews, electrocution and hot chiles to torture their rivals while some of their victims were "fed dead or alive to tigers." 4 women arrested for allegedly aiding escaped New Orleans inmates Biggest takeaways from RFK Jr.'s MAHA report Saturday Sessions: Lucius performs "Gold Rush"
