His Tips Helped Find El Chapo’s Bathtub-Tunnel Hideout: Sinaloa Cartel’s ‘El Nariz’ Gets 29 Years in Mexico After Serving 7 in the U.S.
Mario Hidalgo Argüello, known as “El Nariz,” was arrested by Mexican marines in Culiacán, Sinaloa, in February 2014. Information he gave after that arrest helped authorities find the safe houses of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, El Heraldo de México reported. That included the house where Guzmán escaped through a hidden tunnel under a bathtub. Hidalgo was then extradited to the United States and served time there on drug charges. Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office (FGR) said on Oct. 2, 2026, that it has now won a 29-year prison sentence against him in Mexico.
What he was convicted of
Infobae reported, citing the FGR, that marines found firearms reserved for the armed forces, magazines, cartridges, drugs, vehicles and cash on him in the 2014 arrest. A federal judge found him guilty of carrying and possessing weapons and cartridges reserved for the military, and of possessing cocaine hydrochloride for sale. The FGR describes him as a “high-relevance” member of the Sinaloa Cartel. Infobae noted that the FGR did not specify his exact role.
Seven years in the U.S., then a Tijuana re-arrest
La Jornada reported, citing the FGR, that Hidalgo got a seven-year sentence for drug trafficking in the United States. While he was extradited, the Mexican case was suspended. Infobae reported that authorities carried out a re-arrest warrant against him in Tijuana, Baja California, in January 2025, which reopened the case. He is held in the federal prison known as Cefereso 11 “CPS-Sonora” in Hermosillo. None of the reports reviewed named the U.S. court that sentenced him.
Not that “El Mayo”
The FGR also lists the alias “El Mayo,” which caused confusion online. Infobae stressed that Hidalgo is not Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada García, the Sinaloa Cartel co-founder who was arrested in the United States in 2024. Authorities have shown no formal link between the two men beyond the nickname. Zambada’s son is profiled in our explainer Who Is ‘El Mayito Flaco’?
La Jornada wrote that Hidalgo “collaborated with Mexican authorities” to locate and arrest Guzmán in 2014. The FGR statement as quoted by Infobae does not describe that cooperation.
Sources
- Infobae (Ingrid Scarlet Rubi Resendiz): Dan 29 años de prisión a “El Mayo”, integrante de alta relevancia del Cártel de Sinaloa (Oct. 2, 2026)
- La Jornada (Gustavo Castillo García): Condenan a 29 años de prisión a ‘El Nariz’; colaboró para ubicar y detener a ‘El Chapo’ en 2014 (Oct. 2, 2026)
- El Heraldo de México (Manuel Aceves): Dan 29 años de cárcel a “El Nariz”, integrante del Cártel de Sinaloa (Oct. 2, 2026)
- Photos: Fiscalía General de la República (FGR), via Infobae; DEA (public domain), via Wikimedia Commons.
Reported Oct. 3, 2026, from the FGR’s Oct. 2 announcement as covered by Infobae, La Jornada and El Heraldo de México. The FGR did not publish details of Hidalgo’s cooperation or of his U.S. case, and it is not known whether he will appeal.