A 15-year-old gunman who worked as the bodyguard of his uncle, a top cartel leader in Michoacan, flaunted his lifestyle on social media. His story ended in a hail of gunfire when Mexican military forces hunted him down, killing him and his uncles during a raid targeting the leadership of the terror group known as Carteles Unidos.
The raid took place this week at a ranch near the town of Tocumbo, Michoacan, where military forces tracked down and tried to arrest Luis Enrique “R5 or El Guicho” Barragan Chavez. The man known as R5 had taken control of the criminal group known as Cartel De Los Reyes following the arrest of Alfonso “Poncho La Quiringa” Fernandez Magallanes.
As Breitbart Texas reported, El Guicho and his gunmen clashed with military forces, and the cartel boss and his bodyguard, who was not named by authorities, died in the shootout.
Breitbart Texas was able to confirm that the bodyguard was 15-year-old Jesus “Chuchito Nini” Sandoval, the nephew of R5 who had joined the cartel and worked as his bodyguard and messenger. Sandoval was also the brother of Antonio “Tercer Elemento” Sandoval, one of the top underbosses in the criminal organization.
Despite his young age, Sandoval made a point of displaying his life on social media. Using two accounts on Instagram, @Chuchito_Pistolas and @chuchito_pistolas_666, Sandoval would post pictures of guns and other cartel gunmen.
According to an analysis by Infobae, Sandoval’s social media accounts date back two years, and they show his change from a young boy playing soccer to a cartel gunman with a passion for guns and rooster fights.
As Breitbart Texas reported, cartels in Michoacan have a history of recruiting children and teens as gunmen. In 2020, now-jailed cartel boss Cesar “El Boto” Sepulveda” took the strategy one step further and paid innocent town children to stand at the town’s entrance as human shields in case his rivals or police forces went after him. The move has been largely unaddressed by Mexico’s government.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.