Altar, Sonora: 8 Los Salazar Hitmen Arrested, A Safe House is Raided

"HEARST" for Borderland Beat

Eight Los Salazar hitmen were arrested in the town of Altar, in the state of Sonora. Then two days later, law enforcement launched a raid on a safe house located in a different section of the town which netted police 2 vehicles, 15 firearms and narcotics.

Eight Hitmen Arrested

On the afternoon of January 24, 2022, soldiers from the Army (SEDENA) requested the aid of State Police officers after discovering 8 armed men in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of the town of Altar. 

The name for each photo was not released. 

The officers arrived and helped to arrest the following: David 'N' (21 years old), Eduardo 'N' (22 years old), Henry 'N' (23 years old), Abel 'N' (20 years old) and Odeil 'N' (21 years old). These five men were arrested alongside three minors. For legal reasons, the names and ages of minors are not released by law enforcement. 

Altar municipality in Sonora is believed to be controlled by the Sinaloa Cartel subgroup Los Salazars. La Opinion writes that “eight young men belonged to the Los Salazar drug trafficking group.” 

1 AKMN denoting the Warsaw Pact side mount, 1 AKM, 1 AKMS, 1 unknown AK-style firearm, 1 modified AKM with an unknown custom Warsaw Pact dovetail side rail mount, 3 M4A1 or full auto capable AR15, 1 PS90, 1 Springfield XD style pistol, 1 Glock 45 pistol in Flat Dark Earth (FDE).

A total of 17 firearms were seized during the arrest. The official press release describes the firearms seized by writing “of the weapons seized, eight are 7.62x39mm caliber AK-47s, six are 5.56 caliber, one 5.7x28mm, one .9mm and another .40 caliber.”

Additionally, tactical vests and helmets were also collected. 

The drugs found to be in the possession of the 8 detainees amounted to “1,653 wrappers of a substance similar to narcotics” and “a package that appears to be marijuana.” Two Toyota Tacoma pick-up trucks, one gray in colors, the other white in color, were also seized. 

Raid on Safehouse

Just two days after the 8 detainees were taken into custody by State Police officers, a raid on a safe house also located in Altar municipality occurred. 

The house was located on Félix Gómez street, between Benito Juárez and Agustín de Iturbide Streets, in the Valle del Sol neighborhood of the town of Altar. The raid occurred after Attorney General (FGR) agents applied for a search warrant based on evidence they had of criminal activity occurring at the residence. 

The judge approved their request and on January 26, 2022, SEDENA soldiers, FGR agents and State Police officers surrounded the property and entered to find a large amount of firearms, radios and some narcotics. No arrests were announced in relation to the raid so it is presumed that no cartel hitmen were inside the premises during the time of the raid. 

Photos of the interior of the residence offer an interesting insight as to the living conditions of some cartel hitmen. 

In this raid, 15 firearms were seized. 10 were long barrel firearms and 5 were short barrel firearms. Some appear to have been kept stacked up together on a wood shelf, painted teal.

20 radios, which were apparently kept inside a white cooler, were discovered. 

Also seized from the property were 77 wrappers containing methamphetamine and two vehicles, both without license plates. One of the vehicles is said to have custom armoring. 

Whether this raid is related or unrelated to the arrest of the 8 men two days earlier is unknown at this time. 

2 AK-style rifles, 1 SKS rifle, 1 Ruger 10/22 rifle, 2 AR/M4-style rifles, 1 Springfield Armory 1911 pistol, 1 unknown handgun, 1 unknown revolver (likely a S&W L frame), 1 Glock 45 pistol in Flat Dark Earth (FDE), 1 unknown handgun.

8 Arrested Sources: Official State Police Press Release, Official State Police Tweet, Tribuna, Radar Sonora, Critica, Noticieros.Televisa, La Opinion 

Safehouse Raid Sources: El Imparcial, La Verdad, Sonora Informativo