'Coma Santos', La Linea Commander Involved in LeBaron Family Massacre, Arrested

"MX" for Borderland Beat; TY to "NealinCaborca"

Note to readers: The link to the original November 2019 story is hyperlinked here. Please keep in mind that a lot of the details about the case have changed since it was first reported.

Coma Santos under custody by National Guard members (Photo: Twitter / @ AdrianLebaron)

Mexico's Attorney General's Office (FGR), in coordination with the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena), captured Candelario Santos Jiménez ('Coma Santos'), identified as a commander of the criminal group La Línea, the armed wing of the old Juárez Cartel.

Santos allegedly participated in the events where nine family members lost their lives in Bavispe, Sonora, on November 4, 2019. The news of the capture was released by activist Adrián LeBarón, who lost his daughter and six grandchildren in the massacre.

"I am informed by the Seido (Special Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime Investigation) that, derived from the investigation and in collaboration with the Federal Ministerial Police and Sedena, they caught Candelario Santos [Jimenez], El Coma Santos, commander of the criminal organization La Línea", Adrian LeBaron posted on his Twitter account.

Santos has two arrest warrants for organized crime involvement and homicide.

Background and investigation

On November 4, 2019, in an area of ​​the Sierra Madre Occidental in the municipality of Bavispe, Sonora, members of La Línea fired from a van at the 3 vehicles where three women and 14 minors were traveling.

There were 9 fatalities: Rhonita Maria Miller, 30; Christina Marie Langford Johnson, 29; Dawna Ray Langford, 43; as well as 12-year-old Howard Jacob; Trevor Harvey, 11; 10-year-old Krystal Bellaine; 2-year-old Rogan; and Titus Alvin and Tiana Gricel, both barely 8 months old. At least seven children were injured.

Initial versions of the case reported that the massacre occurred due to a confusion. However, part of that hypothesis has been ruled out because those who were traveling in the vans told the attackers that only women and children were present.

This act of brutal violence shocked Mexico and the United States, to the point that former US President Donald Trump considered the possibility of designating drug cartels as terrorist groups.

So far, the FGR has not offered further details about the place where Coma Santos was arrested. It is presumed that it was somewhere in Chihuahua. Local reports have indicated that the alleged offender was placed at the disposal of the ministerial authorities and was sent to Mexico City.

The November 2019 massacre triggered an extensive manhunt against members of La Linea. According to the FGR, over 20 people have been arrested for the massacre. As reported by Borderland Beat, there are at least 20 more suspects identified and at large.

Last February, a federal judge charged Wilbert Mendoza Lopez, alias 'La Parka', for his direct participation in the massacre. The FGR already has two other main suspects in custody: Jose Alfredo Lara Ontiveros, alias 'El Coma Lara' and/or 'Pelonete'; and Roberto Gonzalez Montes, alias 'El 32' and/or 'El Mudo'. Last month, authorities also arrested Alejandro Escarcega Adame, alias 'El Tocayo', 'El Loco', and/or 'El 15'.

Sources: Milenio; Infobae; El Universal