12 Years for ‘La Vaca’: Colima Cartel Founder Sentenced Over 7 Rifles and 3,439 Rounds Seized in 2014 — His 2022 Arrest Left 14 Vehicles Burned
José Bernabé Brizuela Meraz, alias “La Vaca,” identified by Mexican federal prosecutors as the founder and leader of the Cártel Independiente de Colima, also known as “Los Mezcales,” has been sentenced to 12 years in prison on weapons charges, Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office (FGR) announced on Sept. 26, 2026, according to Noroeste, Milenio and Excélsior. His associate Christian Jonathan Cuevas Sánchez, alias “El Camaney,” “El Tiburón” or “El Chino,” received the same sentence.
A 2014 raid in Villa de Álvarez
The conviction is for stockpiling firearms and possessing cartridges reserved for Mexico’s Armed Forces, Noroeste reported, citing an FGR statement. The case began in September 2014, when a search of a property in Villa de Álvarez, Colima, turned up seven rifles and 3,439 cartridges of various calibers. Prosecutors established that Brizuela Meraz rented the property and that Cuevas Sánchez had access to and control of it, Excélsior reported.
The case moved through several courts because of appeals filed by the defense, the FGR said. Besides prison, both men were fined, formally reprimanded and had their political and civil rights suspended, and the court denied any substitute sentence or conditional release, Milenio reported.
The arrest that set Colima on fire
Brizuela Meraz was arrested on the night of Aug. 18, 2022, in the Anzures neighborhood of Mexico City’s Miguel Hidalgo borough. According to Noroeste, the arrest set off a violent reaction in Colima: 14 vehicles were set on fire and gunmen shot at the fronts of three businesses in the city of Colima and neighboring Villa de Álvarez. Cuevas Sánchez was arrested in June 2022, Milenio reported.
Milenio reported on the sentencing in this video:
What the sentence does not cover
Noroeste noted that the ruling closes a case that lasted more than a decade after the weapons were seized, and that it is limited to the weapons offenses. It does not address other conduct attributed to the criminal group the two men allegedly belonged to. Public reports did not say whether an appeal is planned.
Sources
- Noroeste, “Sentencian a 12 años de prisión a ‘La Vaca’, jefe del Cártel de Colima,” Sept. 26, 2026
- Milenio, “Dan 12 años de prisión a ‘La Vaca’, líder de Los Mezcales en Colima,” Sept. 27, 2026
- Excélsior, “Por acopio de armas, sentencian a 12 años de cárcel a ‘La Vaca’,” Sept. 26, 2026
- Vanguardia (Reforma), “Sentencian a 12 años de prisión a José Bernabé Brizuela ‘La Vaca’, fundador del Cártel de Colima,” Sept. 26, 2026
- Photos: Mexico City SSC handout (credited to Reforma), via Vanguardia; FGR, via Noroeste. Video: Milenio.
This report is based on coverage by Noroeste, Milenio, Excélsior and Vanguardia as of Sept. 27, 2026, which relies on an FGR statement. The Narco Blog has not reviewed the court ruling. The conviction covers weapons offenses only; other allegations about the Colima cartel have not been proven in court.