“El Neto”, leader of the Mexicles, dies during a confrontation with the police to recapture him

Photo: Chihuahua Prosecutor’s Office / Courtesy

Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, began 2023 with a bloody chapter, since on January 1 there was a riot in a prison that left a balance of 17 people dead -10 guards and seven inmates- in addition to 30 escaped inmates. The objective of this prison coup was Ernesto Alberto Piñón de La Cruz, alias “El Neto”, leader of The Mexicleswho was killed during an operation to capture him.

Once the situation inside the Social Readaptation Center Number 3 was controlled, the list of the inmates who had fled was made, and it was established that the person responsible for what happened was “El Neto”, for which reason implemented an operation to capture him.

Both the governor of Chihuahua, María Eugenia Campos, and the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, confirmed the death of the criminal leader during an operation in which law enforcement agencies from different levels of government participated.

The criminal objective was located in Ciudad Juárez and, Finding himself cornered by policemen, he fled at full speed aboard a car, but ended up crashing into a gas station. There he began to shoot at the elements, which repelled the attack and left him badly injured.

Once neutralized, they proceeded to recapture him, but when “El Neto” was taken to the facilities of the North Zone District Attorney’s Office, died from injuries.

After the operation and death of the criminal, the State Investigation Agency (AEI) secured a BMW armored vehicle, eight long weapons and five tactical vests.

Who was “El Neto”?

Ernesto Alberto Piñón de La Cruz, alias “El Neto”, was the criminal leader of Los Mexicles, a gang dedicated to kidnapping, homicide, drug dealing and extortion. Their victims were decapitated and their heads placed on a cooler with the letters FEMin reference to the Mexicles Special Forces, made up mostly of Mexicans who have been deported from the United States, although there are also Central Americans in their ranks, according to the Milenio newspaper.

“El Neto” was one of the bloodiest and heartless criminals in Ciudad Juárez, since at least 30 kidnappings were attributed to him. In December 2010, he was sentenced to 244 years in prison for the crimes of kidnapping and homicide.

According to the Secretary of National Defense, Luis Crescencio Sandoval, “El Neto” enjoyed privileges inside the prisonsince in addition to having his cell equipped with amenities, he had at least 10 other cells with the same characteristics, where he had weapons, alcohol and drugs, as well as a safe where he accumulated more than 1.7 million pesos.

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