SEMAR Helicopters Spotted in Huatabampo, Sonora, Rumors That CDS El Pirata Was Arrested

"HEARST" for Borderland Beat 

Special Forces SEMAR soldiers and at least two military helicopters were spotted carrying out an operation near a private residence in Huatabampo municipality, Sonora. It is being rumored on social media that Los Salazar leader Jesús Francisco Sarrazín Lohr, alias “El Pirata”, was arrested during the operation.

The SEMAR Operation 

During the afternoon of July 26, 2022, a number of residents of Huatabampo municipality spotted two SEMAR helicopters maneuvering in an operation nearby. Huatabampo municipality is the most southern municipality within the state of Sonora and borders with the state of Sinaloa.

It is believed that this area, along with Álamos and Navojoa, are under the control of the Sinaloa Cartel subgroup Los Salazar, who are Chapitos aligned.  

Multiple residents of Huatabampo captured and uploaded footage on their smartphones of the helicopters flying low and landing in the small coastal town of Huatabampito near a private residence.

Video Source: El Ojo

Video Source: Sin Pelos en la Lengua

Video Source: Sin Pelos en la Lengua

Diario Nueva Expresión writes that “a strong ground-air operation implemented by the Secretary of the Navy (SEMAR)” and “they have not yet confirmed the reason for the deployment.” Social media account El Ojo writes “there are unofficial reports of the arrest of a person by the Navy this Tuesday afternoon in Huatabampito.”

Meanwhile another social media source Blanco y Negro Sonora writes “a group of Special Forces soldiers detained El Pirata, leader of a criminal group in the municipality of Huatabampo. His alleged arrest was during a quick operation, which would have been carried out without a single shot fired.” Huatabampo Y Alrededores and Sin Pelos en la Lengua reported similar rumors.

Some Background on El Pirata

About half a year ago, on December 7, 2021, a narco sign was hung in the city of Guaymas which exposed the full names and aliases of three Salazar lieutenants. The sign claimed the three men were the “main generators of violence in the state of Sonora.”

It is likely that Rafael Caro Quintero’s Caborca Cartel were the creators of this sign and it is also likely that it was created as an act of retribution for a Sinaloa Cartel sign which exposed the top Caborca Cartel leaders in a similar fashion earlier that month. For the full details on this sign and what we know about the three men named in the sign, please see this previous story. 

Jesús Francisco Sarrazín Lohr, alias “El Pirata”, a well-known Salazar operator with an established history in the region, was one of the men exposed in the sign. Not much news surrounding El Pirata has come out within the last few years but the sign seemingly confirms that he is still an active force, leading part of Los Salazar forces in the state of Sonora. 

Some articles have described Pirata as a head of hitmen for the group, others write that he is in charge of managing day-to-day operations on behalf of the leader of Los Salazars, José Crispín Salazar Zamorano, alias Tío Pin (Uncle Pin), as well as its secondary leader Jesus Alfredo Salazar Ramírez, alias "El Muñeco", who is Tío Pin’s nephew and who still allegedly gives out orders from prison. 

One of his narcocorridos, titled “El Pirata” from the artist Francisco Fourcade, includes the lyrics: 

And in Huatabampo, with the gun in my waistband

I'm from the ranks of the people from Navojoa

I am Gente Nueva, let those scumbags know

I'm walking around with the support of El Senor 

And they call me Pirata, I am of Salazars

[...]

Napoleon, let's go and do this, brother

[...]

I'm an armed man of the famous Muñeco.

We continue on 100% even though El Senor is in jail

Napoleon may refer to Salazar operative Sergio Alberto del Villar Suarez, alias “El Napoleon”, who was allegedly killed on August 4, 2019, although some on social media allege that was a different man. 

The song also references the aforementioned second-in-command of Salazars, Jesús Alfredo Salazar Ramírez, alias "El Muñeco,” who has been in prison since 2012. 

Pirata has a cousin named Edgar Alonso Villegas Sarrazín, alias “El H”, who reported under him. El H reportedly is in charge of organizing and planning out kidnappings and extortion collection. El H was killed inside a barbershop in July 2020. 

Pirata was alleged to have ordered a kidnapping of a family which was unsuccessfully attempted on April 5, 2019. 

It's worth noting that just recently a Salazar-associated leadership figure named Francisco Torres Carranza, alias “El Duranguillo”, was arrested in northern Sonora. El Duranguillo is notably the brother of the arrested Gente Nueva de Altar’s head of hitmen named Jose Bibiano Cabrera, alias “El Durango”.  Duranguillo was allegedly leading a part of Gente Nueva de Altar’s remaining forces at the time of his arrest, on July 2, 2022. 

Sources: Sonora Informativo, Diario Nueva Expresión, Blanco y Negro Sonora, El Ojo, Sin Pelos en la Lengua, Radio TV Nogales Post 1, Post 2, Huatabampo Y Alrededores, Codigo Rojo Hermosillo, BB - Los Salazars, A Crappy, Early Notable Figures