Cholo Flechas Denies Rumors of His Own Death, Los Flechas Take Villa González, Zacatecas

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Alleged photos and video of the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generation (CJNG) members with the dismembered remains of Sinaloa Cartel’s MZ Los Flechas member emerged online, as part of the Sinaloa Cartel (CDS) vs CJNG war in the state of Zacatecas. The remains in the photos were briefly misidentified as Cholo Flechas but Cholo himself later went on video to deny the rumors. 

Then MZ Los Flechas members posed in the municipality of Villa González Ortega, showing off their newly gained territory.

Warning: Graphic photos below this point. 

The Misidentification 

At 10:25 am on October 7, 2021, social media account El Blog de Los Guachos uploaded a tweet which showed alleged CJNG members holding the decapitated head of a hitman alleged to be Cholo Flechas.

The tweet read as follows: “Zacatecas. Execution of Cholo Flechas (CDS). Cholo Flechas was the leader of the Los Flechas group in Zacatecas and led the war against the CJNG, apparently he was executed and decapitated by members of the CJNG.”

Later that same day, at 3:19 pm, the same user uploaded a video in which alleged CJNG sicarios show the dead body of Cholo Flechas. In the video they say: 

Sicario: Take a look at this here bro. We’re going to first take a few pictures with our phones. Yeah that’s him. 

And at approximately 1:00 am the next day, the same account updated saying that the man photographed was a MZ Los Flechas member however it was not the leader Cholo Flechas. They tweeted saying: 

“Apparently it was a MZ. Very similar to El Cholo, since a few minutes ago a video of El Cholo Flechas was released, denying his alleged execution.”

In the video, the man alleged to be Cholo Flechas says:

"Take a look at this. We’re still standing strong here sir. There’s only one cell known as the Flechas. And we’re still in position here at the orders of the supreme Flechas. We will fucking confront our enemies at whatever hour you choose. We can meet for that armed confrontation in the La Negra, the hills or wherever you sons of bitches want to meet."

Los Flechas Take Villa González Ortega

On the same day as these rumors of Cholo Flecha’s death were making their rounds on social media, the MZ Los Flechas group uploaded a new video in which a number of hitmen stand proudly in front of the municipal letter sign of Villa González Ortega, a Zacatecan municipality located in the southwest region of the state. Villa Gonzálezis thought to be close to territory controlled by Los Zetas splinter group "Los Talibanes”.

The hitmen all cheer, shouting various praises for Flechas and Sinaloa Cartel kingpin Ismael Zambada García, alias “El Mayo”. At least two vehicles playing narcocorridos (narco ballads) can be seen when the camera pan to the right and another two when the camera pans to the left.

The CJNG and CDS groups seen in the state of Zacatecas fighting most often are CDS’s “Los Flechas” or “The Arrows”, said to be a part of “Operativo M.Z.”, or “Operators of Mayo Zambada” and the CJNG’s “Grupo Guerrero”, referring to the state close to Zacatecas. However both cartels have other factions operating in Zacatecas. 

The Gulf Cartel (Cártel del Golfo, CDG) and Los Zetas splinter group "Los Talibanes” are both thought to have a presence in Zacatecas and be involved in some of the recent Zacactecas battles. Fights from the neighboring states of Guerrero and San Luis Potosí often bleed over and affect the conflicts in Zacatecas as well. 

Sites such as Infobae and MVS Noticias claim that Los Flechas either emerged or were rebranded in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, beginning around February 2020. Los Flechas is allegedly led by El Azteca. Cholo Flechas is alleged to be a subordinate of El Azteca, reporting to him as a lieutenant, although there are conflicting reports that he may be no more than a normal hitman. 

CJNG video threatening El Azteca and other Los Flechas leaders

Partial confirmation of the aliases of Los Flechas leaders came in the form of a CJNG video released a few months ago in which they threatened “Arturo Herrera aka El Pariente, El Flechas, El Caballero, and El Azteca.”

Photo from the Instagram account in question

Very few details are available on Cholo Flechas in terms of his real name or origin. On Instagram there is a public account called “CholoFlechas” with photos and videos of the alleged lieutenant however it is unknown if the account actually belongs to the man himself or if it is an unrelated person simply posing as him, similar to all the fake Chapitos Instagram accounts.

Photo from the Instagram account in question

The Instagram user uploaded the video of Cholo Flechas denying his death at 12:29 AM CST. El Blog de Los Guachos uploaded their version of the video (with their watermark) at 12:47 AM CST. So at the very least the Cholo Flechas Instagram account appears to have posted the video before twitter users started sharing however the Instagram account still could have pulled the video an unknown source and still be a fake account.

Sources: El Blog de Los Guachos, La Voz de Pueblo, Rocha Informa, Infobae, MVS Noticias, Cholo Flechas Instagram