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01
Luis Adán Torales Castillo, alias 'El 500,' stands between Baja California state police and federal SSPC agents behind a FESC table displaying a 9mm pistol, small bags of drugs and two caps
Archive photo · Fuerza Estatal de Seguridad Ciudadana de Baja California, via Semanario Zeta · Photo details and license
The border

‘Free Mayo’ Cap and a 9mm: Police Hunting U.S.-Sanctioned ‘El Ranchero’ Rearrest ‘El 500’ in Rosarito, Near San Diego — 3 Years After His Arrest in a Tijuana Agent’s Killing

Baja California police hunting OFAC-sanctioned Sinaloa Cartel lieutenant 'El Ranchero' instead rearrested 'El 500' in Rosarito on Oct. 3, 2026 — a man arrested in 2023 in a Tijuana agent's killing.

October 3, 2026 · The Narco Blog
03
Nick Quets, a smiling young man with short dark hair, wearing a U.S. Marine Corps dress blue uniform with corporal chevrons and marksmanship badges, on a brick building's porch.
Archive photo · Phil Sweet (courtesy), via Arizona Daily Star / KVOA · Photo details and license
The border

Senate Honors Tucson Marine Nick Quets, Shot at a Sinaloa Cartel Checkpoint on the Road to Rocky Point (Puerto Peñasco) — as Arizona Lawmakers Push Cartel Warning Signs at Border Crossings

The Senate passed a resolution honoring Tucson-born Marine veteran Nicholas Quets, killed in 2024 at a Sinaloa Cartel checkpoint near Altar, Sonora, on the way to Rocky Point (Puerto Peñasco). A House bill would put…

October 2, 2026 · The Narco Blog
04
Armed U.S. Coast Guard member in camouflage and body armor steps off a small patrol boat at the bank of the Rio Grande, with other crew members aboard
Archive photo · Petty Officer 3rd Class Perry Shirzad, U.S. Coast Guard · Photo details and license
The border

Shots From Mexico at a Coast Guard Boat Near Garceño, Texas — Then Hundreds of U.S. Troops, About 500 by NewsNation’s Count, Pour Into the Rio Grande Valley

A Coast Guard crew on the Rio Grande near Garceño, Texas, came under fire from Mexico on Sept. 26 and returned fire. Northern Command now confirms hundreds of troops are deploying to the Rio Grande…

October 2, 2026 · The Narco Blog
05
Pedestrians line up for CBP inspection booths at the Calexico port of entry, seen from above
Archive photo · Josh Denmark, U.S. Customs and Border Protection · Photo details and license
The border

12 Hours at the Calexico Border Crossing: Ex-Baja California Senator Alejandra León Says CBP Asked About Gov. Marina del Pilar, Days After U.S. Sanctioned the Governor’s Ex-Husband

Early reports said ex-senator Alejandra León Gastélum was arrested at the Calexico crossing on Oct. 1. She says CBP interviewed her for about 12 hours about Baja California's governor, and she kept her visa.

October 2, 2026 · The Narco Blog
06
U.S. Treasury OFAC chart showing Rafael Buenrostro Martin labeled a political enabler and former Baja California legislative staffer, with an arrow from José Ángel Rivera Zazueta, 'Flaco', marked 'Pays bribes to'
Archive photo · U.S. Department of the Treasury, OFAC · Photo details and license
The border

Baja California Schools Chief Quits 2 Days After U.S. Names His Brother a Sinaloa Cartel ‘Political Enabler’ Paid by ‘Flaco’ in the ‘Mayito Flaco’ Sanctions

Luis Miguel Buenrostro Martín left Baja California’s CECyTE BC on Oct. 1, 2026, after Treasury sanctioned his brother Rafael, alleging he took bribes from Sinaloa Cartel figure José Ángel Rivera Zazueta.

October 2, 2026 · The Narco Blog
07
U.S. Treasury OFAC chart of the Sinaloa Cartel's Los Mayos faction, including Marco Antonio Moreno Gómez Santelices and Carlos Villela Gómez Santelices among financial operators
Archive photo · U.S. Department of the Treasury, OFAC · Photo details and license
The border

Christian Nodal, Ricky Martin, Marc Anthony: The Baja California Concert Promoter Behind Their Shows Is Among Firms the U.S. Sanctioned in the ‘Mayito Flaco’ Network

Treasury says Conciertos y Espectáculos Inhouse, which staged Valle de Guadalupe shows by Nodal, Ricky Martin and others, is controlled by a Tijuana businessman it accuses of laundering money for the Sinaloa Cartel. The artists…

October 2, 2026 · The Narco Blog
08
U.S. Customs and Border Protection wanted-poster photo of Armando Maldonado Lozoya, a man with short dark hair and a goatee, labeled EP8, with the aliases Chivo, El Senor de Los Cuernos, and the charge Homicide.
Archive photo · U.S. Customs and Border Protection · Photo details and license
The border

Goat’s Head in a Cooler After a Quiet Arrest: La Línea’s Alleged Boss ‘El Chivo,’ on a U.S.–Mexico Most-Wanted List, Ordered to Stand Trial in Juárez, Across From El Paso

Armando M. L., ‘El Chivo,’ named on CBP’s Se Busca Información list, was arrested in Ciudad Juárez and ordered to stand trial on organized-crime charges tied to people smuggling and drugs, El Diario de Juárez…

October 1, 2026 · The Narco Blog
09
Three pages of the 2024 Baja California State Attorney General's Office contract with Inteliproof Efficient for tactical uniforms, stamped 'Operado FASP', worth 8.1 million pesos
Archive photo · Mexicanos Contra la Corrupción y la Impunidad (MCCI), Verónica Ayala · Photo details and license
The border

200 Million Pesos From Baja California’s Prosecutors: MCCI Says Tijuana Firm Sanctioned in ‘Mayito Flaco’ Network Sold Them Everything From Tactical Uniforms to Facial-Recognition Software

MCCI tallies more than 200 million pesos in 2022–2025 contracts between Baja California’s State Attorney General’s Office and Inteliproof Efficient, the Tijuana firm the U.S. Treasury says laundered money for the Sinaloa Cartel’s Los Mayos.

October 1, 2026 · The Narco Blog
10
Two 2023 invoices from Tijuana firm Inteliproof Efficient (IE Security) to the Baja California State Attorney General's Office, one for four drones totaling 831,600 pesos
Archive photo · Los Ángeles Press (Guadalupe Lizárraga) · Photo details and license
The border

Drones and Surveillance Tech for Baja California Prosecutors: Tijuana Firm Sanctioned in ‘Mayito Flaco’ Network Billed Them Millions — While the Man the U.S. Ties to It Was Listed on Their Press Staff

Los Ángeles Press found 9.94 million pesos in 2023 invoices from Inteliproof Efficient, sanctioned Sept. 29 as part of a Sinaloa Cartel laundering network, to Baja California's prosecutors, and records listing Marco Antonio Moreno Gómez…

October 1, 2026 · The Narco Blog