Sangre Brava Morelense Executes Two Rivals & Threaten Los Linos in Morelos

"HEARST" for Borderland Beat 

An independent cartel group called Sangre Brava Morelense left two men executed in Morelos along with threats against Los Linos, which is a Guerreros Unidos group led by brothers who have been accused of being involved in the Ayotzinapa mass kidnapping. 

Sangre Brava Morelense seems to be challenging some of the most storied cartel groups in the area, indiscriminately, as they have previously threatened the son of the Los Rojos founder.

Warning: Graphic images below this point.

At approximately 7:40 am on the morning of April 5, 2022,  the dead body of a man was discovered near a ravine on Barranca Analco street, in Jiutepec municipality, which is a part of the greater Cuernavaca city area.  

Cuernavaca city is a relatively large city, located in the state of Morelos and it lies just 90 minutes south of the much larger Mexico City. Cuernavaca is a frequent vacation spot for the residents of Mexico City and foreigners. 

He was found wearing a gray t-shirt, yellow shorts and black tennis shoes along with a blindfold. The male was said to have been 25 years old at the time of his death and it is believed that received a coup de grâce shot, or final killing blow which ends the life quickly. 

The body was accompanied by a professionally printed narco message tarp that was signed by the regional cartel group called “Sangre Brava Morelense” or “The Morelos Brave Bloods”. Nearby, a photo of the male prior to his execution was placed. In the photo, he is seen blindfolded and sitting in front of the banner, which is hanging on a wall, with a towel draped over his left shoulder. 

The message on the banner reads as follows, as translated by Sol Prendido:

This message goes out to the municipality of Jiutepec. The entire community is hereby informed that we are the cartel known as Sangre Brava Morelense [The Morelos Brave Bloods]. 

We’ve come with the sole purpose of putting an end to the collection of fees, extortions, and kidnappings that have been plaguing us. To the municipality and the state in general. We’re already fed up with the hungry fucks who don’t know how to do anything else other than live off of their threats.

We’re fed up with those pigs. We’re all under threat and disgusted. As for you Rafa Reyes, you fucking faggot. You’re up to your elbows with Los Linos. And you spend all your time convincing yourself that it's fucking necessary.

Let's see if Los Linos can take away the fact that you like to walk around smelling shit in the street. Carry on with your activities, you won’t be the first victims killed off. It remains to be seen if the salary you bitches receive is enough for the funerals. 

As for all the bars in Jiutepec. Just the same way. For everyone we catch selling or collaborating with Los Linos. We’re going to burn down your business. The only enterprise allowed here will be our own. Everyone needs to fall into formation. Otherwise you will all die. 

All of this will take place for a Jiutepec without extortions or Los Linos.

An hour later, during the same morning, the body of another executed man was discovered, this time Colorines street in the municipality of Tepoztlán, which is a town to the east of Cuernavaca.

He was wearing black pants, shoes and a black t-shirt. He was said to have been of slim build, medium height, dark complexion and had been 30 years old at the time of his death. 

His hands and feet were bound together and wounds on his body showed evidence of torture. He was also said to have a gunshot wound which was consistent with a coup de grâce, much like the man in Jiutepec.

His body was also accompanied by a narco message sign from Sangre Brava Morelense. The message began with “This message is for you”. In the message they detail that all members of a rival regional group called Los Linos would suffer the same fate as the deceased and they said that hiding in Yautepec would not save them from their fate.

The group primarily being threatened in the messages is Los Linos, who are a subgroup of Guerreros Unidos consisting of associates of Lino Sotelo Adame and his two brothers Carlos and Rodolfo Sotelo Adame. Los Linos are said to have a presence in the municipalities of Jiutepec and Yautepec. 

The Sotelo Adame brothers used to work with Guerreros Unidos leaders Mario Casarrubias Salgado, alias “El Sapo Guapo” and his brother Sidronio Casarrubias Salgado, alias “El Chino”, who are heavily tied to the Ayotzinapa case of the missing 43 normalistas. 

According to the Federal Attorney General’s Office, in fact, El Chino was the Guerreros Unidos leader who gave the order to kill the 43 students, believing them to be a part of the rival vartel group Los Rojos. It's interesting to note that Gildardi Lopez Astudillo, alias “El Gil”, who was a lieutenant of El Chino blamed the Sotelo Adame brothers in a narcomanta he left in October 2014.

Despite multiple news outlets claiming Sangre Brava Morelense is a new group, the group has actually been making public statements within Morelos since at least December 2021. 

The Sange Brava banner placed in Yautepec in December 2021.  

During that time, on December 28, they placed a banner in the municipality of Yautepec which said they were “for a Morelos free of extortion and kidnappings” and threatened Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) members. They began the message by introducing themselves as “S.B.M. (Sangre Brava Morelense)” and signed the banner with the shortened “La Sangre Brava”.

The next day, on December 29, 2021, a cartel group released a video interrogation was a man named Eduardo Peña, alias “Cana” who operated in Amacuzac, Morelos. With a gun pointed at his neck, Cana detailed that he was a livestock thief who currently worked under Erick Mazarí, aliases “El Erick” and “El Carretito”.

The interrogation of Eduardo Peña.

El Erick is one of the sons of Santiago Mazarí Hernández, alias “El Carrete”, a leader of the BLO splinter group Los Rojos who is currently serving time in federal prison. To see the full video and translation to english, please see this previous story. Some claim the armed group behind the interrogation was Sangre Brava Morelense (SBM). 

Then in January 2022, SBM released a video in which one of their leaders, “El Felino”, announced that they had come to the municipality of Amacuzac in order to clean out all the extortionists, kidnappers and men working for El Erick. They also threatened the politician Rene Miranda. To see this video in full with an English translation, please see this previous post.

SBM video in which El Felino announces they are now in Amacuzac 

On March 31, 2022, SBM may have gotten their wish granted as El Erick was arrested by officers of the Agentes de Investigación Criminal (AIC), with the aid of Navy soldiers, while he was riding a yellow motorcycle on the Alpuyeca-Jojutla highway near the town of Xoxocotla. El Erick had a firearm visibly strapped to his waist and his motorcycle had no plates, giving officers all the cause needed to pull him over for a traffic stop.

Photo taken of El Erick after his arrest. 

When El Erick saw the officers were attempting to pull him over, he reportedly grabbed his firearm and tried to intimidate the officers but he was ultimately unsuccessful in his attempts as he was arrested shortly after. He was found to be in possession of 26 doses of crystal meth, so he was brought in on charges of both illegal firearms and drug possession. 

So do the aforementioned SBM accusations against politician Rene Miranda hold any weight? We can’t be sure. However it is known that Rene Miranda is the brother of Gabriel Miranda Domínguez, a Morelos political figure who is mired in controversy. 

Gabriel Miranda was the secretary of the Amacuzac City Council but on September 17, 2019, Secretary Gabriel Miranda Domínguez approached the former mayor of Amacuzac, Noe Reynoso Nava, while he was driving his SUV in town. When the mayor, who had been out of office for 4 years, turned to face Gabriel Miranda, he opened fire on him, causing serious gunshot injuries. 

Noe Reynoso Nava survived the attack and Gabriel Miranda was arrested and charged for the attempted homicide a few days later. In December 2020, Gabriel Miranda’s attempted homicide trial concluded with him being sentenced to serve 16 years in prison. Agencia Informativa writes that the motive behind the shooting was related to “part of an old struggle between political and criminal groups in the area”. 

Rene and Gabriel Miranda Domínguez are both uncles of the aforementioned El Carrete, a leadership figure of Los Rojos. Interestingly, Gabriel and Rene Miranda Domínguez are the sons of another politician accused of being crooked, Alfonso Miranda Gallegos, who famously won the 2018 Amacuzac mayoral election but could not take the oath of office due to being in prison on charges of organized crime and homicide. 

*Note: El Carrete is known to have another son involved in organized crime, Alexis Oswaldo, who is also referred to by the alias “El Carretito”. Carretito simply means “little Carrete”, meaning a son of Carrete, in a similar fashion that “Chapitos” refers to the sons of El Chapo. He may also have another son named Edwin, who is also accused of being involved in organized crime.

Sources: Diario de Morelos, Sin Linea Diario, El Grafico, W Radio, Guillermo Cinta, Voces Morelos, 

Voces Jiutepec, Defensor Ciudadano Morelense Post 1, Post 2, Morelos Alegre Post 1, Post 2, BRUNALDO61, Info Sin Censura    

Background Sources: Tia Acapulqueña, Calvarie Locus, Excelsior, Mexico Daily Post, Diario de Morelos, CoripioVelez, El Regional, David Monroy Digital, Agencia Informativa, El Sol, Washington Post, La Silla Rota