Walked Out Under Police Guard: Alleged Los Chapitos Boss ‘El Marce’ of Cancún Leaves Mérida Hospital 4 Days After Shooting — Freed on Appeal in a 4-Murder Case, Diario de Yucatán Says
José Marcelino “N,” alias “El Marce,” whom Quintana Roo prosecutors have called the leader of a violent criminal group in Cancún, walked out of a Mérida hospital on Tuesday evening, Oct. 6, 2026, four days after gunmen tried to kill him, Diario de Yucatán, Yucatán Ahora and Desde el Balcón reported on Oct. 7. Diario de Yucatán says his lawyers asked for police protection as a crime victim and that Yucatán’s Public Security Secretariat (SSP) is now watching over him.
How he got out of jail
Our earlier reports noted that no outlet could explain how he regained his freedom after his June 2025 arrest in Cancún on a warrant for the killings of four men. Diario de Yucatán now reports that he was released on appeal after presenting evidence that he was somewhere else when the killings happened, and that he moved to Mérida about a year ago. Yucatán Ahora and Desde el Balcón, by contrast, say the court ruling that freed him has not been made public.
Diario de Yucatán, which describes him as the alleged plaza boss of Los Chapitos, the Sinaloa Cartel faction, in Quintana Roo, says he still faces a criminal case in that state but none in Yucatán, where authorities know of no crime he has committed. If Quintana Roo prosecutors want him back, the paper says, they would need Yucatán’s prosecutors to help detain and transfer him. He has not been convicted of any crime.
His injuries, and the 4 suspects
Our Oct. 2 report, based on the first accounts, said he was shot in the head. Yucatán Ahora and Desde el Balcón now say he was struck on the head with a gun and then shot through the neck.
The two men and two women arrested within about seven hours of the Oct. 2 attack in Montes de Amé, as they tried to flee toward Campeche, remain in pretrial detention. Yucatán Ahora reported that a judge will decide on Friday, Oct. 9, whether to try them. They have not been named publicly and are presumed innocent.
For travelers, our Cancún and Tulum safety guide tracks cartel violence in Quintana Roo.
Sources
- Diario de Yucatán (Grupo Megamedia), “Sale del hospital ‘El Marce’, ligado a Los Chapitos, tras ser baleado en Mérida,” Oct. 7, 2026
- Yucatán Ahora, “Dan de alta a ‘El Marce’; sale caminando del hospital tras atentado en Mérida,” Oct. 7, 2026
- Desde el Balcón, “Dan de alta a ‘El Marce’,” Oct. 7, 2026
- Yucatán Ahora, “Prisión preventiva para los cuatro detenidos por atentado contra ‘El Marce’ en Mérida,” Oct. 5, 2026
- Photos: FGE Quintana Roo and Yucatán state authorities handouts, via Yucatán Ahora and Yucatán Ahora
Reported Oct. 7, 2026, from the Mexican news reports listed above. The Narco Blog did not independently verify the allegations or see the appeal ruling. “El Marce” has not been convicted of any crime, and the four detainees have not been charged at trial; all are presumed innocent.