Drug trafficking blow: house with Los Rusos’ military arsenal found in the Mexicali Valley

“Los Rusos” are in the sights of federal and state authorities after being identified as an armed wing of the “El Mayo” faction of the Sinaloa Cartel with a presence in Baja California (Infobae Mexico / Jovani Pérez)

Federal and state authorities dealt a major blow to Los Rusos, the armed wing of the Sinaloa Cartel that operates primarily in the state of Baja California, seizing a military arsenal from a house in the Mexicali Valley.

Elements of the State Force for Citizen Security (FESC), of the Baja California Security Secretariat, in coordination with elements of the Defense Secretariat (Sedena) arrested a person who was found with four long weapons.

His arrest was the result of a series of operations in the rural area of ​​the state capital, where state security elements clashed with alleged hitmen from Los Rusos, an action that resulted in the injury of two agents, including the head of Intelligence of the FESC, Agustín Jaime Brambila.

The Zeta Weekly reported that the detained man would be involved in the attack on the agents who are hospitalized in Mexicali. According to the media, the operation to capture him took place in the vicinity of the Ejido Oviedo Mota Reacomodo, almost where the attack on the officers occurred.

Wanted file for ‘El Ruso’, criminal leader allied with ‘Mayo’ Zambada. (FBI)

The operations carried out by the authorities after the capture of this subject, would have also resulted in the discovery of a military arsenal that was in a home between Carranza and Coahuila streets.

Infobae Mexico was able to learn unofficially that more than ten high-caliber weapons and rocket launchers were found at this location.

The Rusos are identified as an armed wing of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada’s faction. This cell is said to have come into conflict with Los Chapitos, following the capture and release of Ovidio Guzmán in 2019, an event known as the “Culiacanazo.”

On that occasion, Los Rusos did not participate in the violent reactions against the armed forces, even the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena) detected disputes between Los Chapitos and Los Rusos, as can be seen in the military reports leaked by the Guacamaya collective.

The leader of this faction is Jesús Alexander Sánchez, alias El Ruso, a man also wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), an institution that indicates that El Ruso has ties to Sinaloa in Mexico, as well as California and Oregon in the United States.

Jesús Alexander is accused of drug trafficking, hostage-taking and money laundering, according to the wanted file released by the US authorities.

In another incident, local and federal authorities reported the arrest of two individuals with firearms and several live cartridges in the Mexicali Valley.

The events took place on Cuba Street between First Street and Third Street in Ciudad Coahuila, when a black Toyota Scion xB pickup truck with license plates from California, United States, was initially seen blocking the way and was found with its hood and four doors open.

According to the Baja California Citizen Security Secretariat, there were two individuals next to the car who, when interviewed, displayed a suspicious and evasive attitude, so they were inspected as a precaution.

The two people were transferred to FGR facilities. Photo: SSC of Baja California

“After being searched, no illegal objects or substances were found among their clothing. However, when the interior of the vehicle was examined, the discovery of two .9 MM caliber pistol-type firearms, loaded with 5 and 4 cartridges respectively, was confirmed.”

The detainees were identified as Leonel “N”, 43 years old, originally from Nogales, Sonora; and Martín Ulises “N”, 39 years old, originally from Culiacán, Sinaloa. Both were immediately arrested with immobilizing padlocks on their hands for the crime of carrying firearms. Both subjects were transferred to the FGR based in the city of Mexicali with the support of the Sedena.