Mexico’s National Guard has arrested Nestor Isidro Pérez Salas, the alleged security chief for the “Chapitos” wing of the Sinaloa drug cartel. Pérez Salas, also known as “El Nini,” was detained at a property in Culiacan, Sinaloa, and is wanted in the United States on charges of conspiracy to import and distribute fentanyl. He is also accused of numerous acts of violence and torture in Mexico. Pérez Salas protected the sons of imprisoned drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán and helped in their drug business. The sons lead a faction of the cartel known as the Chapitos, which is a major exporter of fentanyl to the US market. Fentanyl has been responsible for approximately 70,000 overdose deaths per year in the United States.
According to the indictment, Pérez Salas commanded a violent security team known as the Ninis, who received military-style training and were responsible for carrying out gruesome acts of violence. The Ninis would take captured rivals to ranches owned by the Chapitos for execution, and some victims were fed to tigers belonging to the Chapitos. The Ninis also conducted human testing on kidnapped rivals or addicts, injecting them with fentanyl until they overdosed. The cartel’s fentanyl varied in potency, and even after a user overdosed on one batch, the Chapitos continued to ship it to the US.
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The arrest of Pérez Salas follows a pattern of major arrests occurring shortly before or after meetings between Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and US President Joe Biden. Ovidio Guzman López, another member of the Chapitos, was arrested in January just days before the two leaders met in Mexico City. Pérez Salas’s arrest may be seen as a gesture of goodwill by President López Obrador as he nears the end of his term.
The arrest of Pérez Salas is a significant blow to the Sinaloa drug cartel and the Chapitos. It represents a step towards dismantling the operations of one of the main exporters of fentanyl to the US market and sends a message that Mexico is committed to combating drug trafficking and violence. The capture of Pérez Salas also highlights the ongoing problem of fentanyl overdose deaths in the United States and the need for international cooperation to address this crisis.
