Sinaloa cartel operator captured in Baja California

Mexican security forces arrested Rubén 'N', also known as '80', the reputed chief hitman of the ‘Rusos’ on Tuesday during an operation carried out in the Golden Zone of Mexicali in the Mexican state of Baja California.

Authorities also recovered two bulletproof vests, cartridges, magazines, and a vehicle at the time of his arrest, Infobae reported.

#OJO #Mexicali #BCN

Ayer elementos del ejército mexicano @SEDENAmx lograron la captura de Rubén Benítez Ponce "El 80" ( originario de #culiacán,#sinaloa) de la faccion "Los Rusos"/ "Mayo Zambada" del Cártel De Sinaloa. pic.twitter.com/UJe0bZN887

— La Voz Del Pueblo ( Oficial ) (@LPueblo2) April 6, 2022

The Rusos is considered an armed wing of the Sinaloa Cartel's leadership on the US-Mexico border.  The group has exacerbated divisions within the Sinaloa Cartel (CDS) while continuing to battle for control of the Baja California state border with Los Chapitos, a group led by the sons of drug trafficker Joaquin 'Chapo' Guzman, who is currently incarcerated in the United States.

Ruben 'N's group purportedly takes its orders from Ismael 'Mayo' Zambada, a top leader of the cartel, raising speculation that his capture is a blow that could weaken their control over the Mexicali Valley, according to La Opinión.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that Jesús Alexander Sánchez Félix, the 'Ruso,' is the group's main leader. In November 2019, an 8-person commando unit used Sinaloa police vans to storm an area of the city of Culiacan under the group’s control.

The attack is believed to have been ordered by one of the leaders of the Los Chapitos faction known as the 'Nini,' a move which some belief could have initiated the conflict between the two factions, according to Río Doce.

In December, Felipe Eduardo 'N,' aka 'Omega,' another operator of 'Mayo' Zambada in Mexicali, was arrested after being pursued by police. Local authorities pointed to him as having orchestrated violence in the Mexicali Valley area,  citing his relationship with various criminal elements in the Mexican states of Baja California and Sonora.