'El Chapito Leal' and the Tijuana Cartel

"J" for Borderland Beat

Octavio Leal Hernandez, 'El Chapito Leal', has been linked in recent accounts to the Sinaloa Cartel power structure in Baja, California, the new Zeta Magazine report contradicts these reports, instead linking Leal Hernandez with the group of Fernando Sanchez Arellano, 'El Ingeniero'.

Octavio Leal Hernandez was a private secretary and close confidante of Juan Sillas Rocha, 'El Sillas', or 'El Ruedas', and documents state that the two were dining together at a restaurant in Tijuana, hours before Sillas Rocha was detained by police, after the attempted murder, of former lieutenant 'El Marquitos'.

It was after Sillas arrest, that Sanchez Arellano, promoted 'El Chapito', to take over the network formerly held by Sillas. This group is empowered to enforce the will of it's superiors, at the behest of Sanchez Arellano, including executions, and kidnappings. Intelligence reports state that 'El Chapito' is one of the closest to the leader of the CAF, and is known to be as violent and headstrong as Ramon Arellano Felix. Leal Hernandez, along with Sillas Rocha were two of the principal leaders of actions against Eduardo Teodoro Garcia, and his group, during the struggle for Tijuana, between 2008 and 2010.

Leal Hernandez, also nicknamed 'killer', allegedly participated in the kidnapping of the nieces of El Mayo Zambada, in Tijuana, September 2010., as well as the kidnapping of the Diane Lopez Uriarte, sister of Raydel Lopez Uriarte, 'El Muletas', in February 2010. 'El Chapito' was born in the state of Puebla, on December 6, 1980, and is 5'2, which is where his nickname originated. Official reports state that he spent his time in Tijuana, under protection, with houses in Sanchez Tadoba, and La Mesa. Leal Hernandez is also alleged to take refuge in Ensenada and his home state of Puebela, when there is problems in Tijuana.

Officially, it is said Chapito is above Melvin Gutierrez, 'El Melvin', but both groups are considered strong in the Playas de Tijuana, and Zona Centro areas, engaged in retail distribution, and wholesale trafficking across the border. Leal Hernandez gained exposure during the bloody months of November and December 2009 when Los Teos and the people of Sillas Rocha aggressively engaged each other in the city, due to the theft of 150 kilograms of methamphetamine from El Teo. There are members of the Sinaloa Cartel with the same nicknames, so authorities were initially confused. Chapito was also, reportedly responsible for murders that occurred in March of 2010, in Colonia Tres De Octubres in Tijuana. Retail drug dealers in that area had been giving up a percentage of profits to Los Teos, and Chapito was sent to align them with 'El Ingeniero', taking back territory lost during the conflict.

A year later, November 2010, Chapito was again engaged against Los Teos, and the people of Alfredo Arteaga 'El Aquiles'. who were both attacking the group of Sillas Rocha, though they were not aligned. On November 19, when two bodies were hanged from the Los Alamos bridge in Tijuana, a note was left against Leal Hernandez, 'Here's your people, killer'. They were answered back days later, when a Nissan Maxima with two corpses appeared, with a response, 'Heres your fucking people Aquiles, bring balls to the fight'- Ramon Arellano, from hell. And another, left with a severed head, 'This happened to me for walking with Aquiles people'.

Despite their hierarchical position and documented cases of high impact violence, there are no active arrest warrants for either the arrest of El Chapito or El Melvin. 18 months ago authorities pledged that arrest warrants had been issued for Fernando Sanchez Arellano, but, at this date, there are no active warrants for his arrest in Tijuana. Chapito is also suspected of threatening Zeta Magazine, last month, after a report about the criminal activities of 'El Melvin'.

Sources, Zeta Tijuana, AFN Tijuana.

Note: All credit with Zeta Tijuana, this is essentially just a rewording of the relevant sections of their article)