US Citizen Jeweler Tied to Sheinbaum’s Husband Kidnapped, Released 48 Hours Later in Culiacán
Luis Mario Zúñiga Ramos, a 49-year-old U.S. citizen and jeweler from a Sinaloa family business operating since 1948, was abducted by armed men in Culiacán on the morning of September 17, 2026, and released nearly 48 hours later, according to a September 21 report by Borderland Beat citing Mexican outlets Luz Noticias, Ivan’s Daily News, Bien Informado and Milenio.
What happened
Per Borderland Beat’s account, Zúñiga Ramos was intercepted by armed men in the parking lot of Plaza Real, at the intersection of Diego Valadez and Enrique Sánchez Alonso boulevards in the Tres Ríos neighborhood, as he arrived at his jewelry store. He was forced out of his armored Audi and into another vehicle. He was released roughly two days later, around September 19; no further detail on the circumstances of his release has been reported.
A reported family connection
Borderland Beat reports that Zúñiga Ramos allegedly has a family connection to Jesús María Tarriba Unger, the husband of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, through the Ramos family jewelry business. Neither the nature of that connection nor any role it may have played in the kidnapping has been independently confirmed or explained by authorities.
Two rival factions blamed, nothing confirmed
Accounts differ on who was behind the kidnapping. Social media posts from Ivan’s Daily News point to La Mayiza, one side of the ongoing internal Sinaloa Cartel war, alleging Zúñiga Ramos laundered money for the opposing faction. Separately, an anonymous Mexican security source cited by All Sources News said initial suspicion falls on the Chapitos, the rival faction. Borderland Beat presents both as unconfirmed claims, not established fact. The Sinaloa Attorney General’s Office has not publicly explained the circumstances of the kidnapping or the release.
Sources
Borderland Beat, “American Jeweler & Alleged Money Launderer Kidnapped and Later Released in Tres Ríos, Culiacán,” published September 21, 2026, citing Luz Noticias, Ivan’s Daily News, Bien Informado, Milenio and Oscar Mario Betata.
This report is based on Borderland Beat’s September 21, 2026 account and the Mexican outlets it cites. Reporting date: September 21, 2026. The identity of Zúñiga Ramos’s captors and the exact circumstances of his release remain unconfirmed by Mexican authorities.