Mexico City Mansion Owned by 'El Señor de Los Cielos' Will Be Auctioned Next Week

"MX" for Borderland Beat

A Mexico City mansion where Juárez Cartel leader and millionaire drug lord Amado Carrillo Fuentes ('El Señor de los Cielos', The Lord of the Skies) once lived will be put for auction on May 3 by the newly-created Institute to Return Stolen Goods to the People (INDEP). The auction's starting price will be MXN$53 million (US$2.1 million). The mansion is in Lomas del Pedregal, an upscale residential neighborhood in Álvaro Obregón borough.

For many years, Carrillo Fuentes avoided capture from Mexican and U.S. authorities because he was successful at maintaining a low-profile. Several high-ranking members of the Mexican Army were also convicted for providing him protection. During his tenure, he amassed a multi-million dollar fortune by successfully using planes to smuggle drugs into the U.S. from Mexico. Carrillo Fuentes died on 4 July 1997 in Santa Monica Hospital in Mexico City following a plastic surgery.

Background and event

The first auction of 2020 was held in March. Multiple assets were sold off, including a house owned by the top money launderer of Los Zetas founder Omar Lórmendez Pitalúa ("El Pita"), as reported by Borderland Beat.

Pool area inside the mansion (source: Milenio)

This is the second auction held by the INDEP in 2020. It will be held in Complejo Cultural Los Pinos, what used to be the official residence and office of the President of Mexico. In this event, they will auction 107 pieces of jewelry, 77 vehicles (six which are not drive-able), 5 airplanes, 5 real estate properties and 7 batches of miscellaneous merchandise.

The assets that will be auctioned are from State of Mexico, Baja California, Chihuahua, Colima, Durango, Jalisco, Michoacan, Nuevo Leon, Queretaro, Quintana Roo, Sonora, Veracruz and Mexico City. All of them total up to MXN$130.1 million (US5.2 million).

Unlike other auctions done in the past, the INDEP will only allow 15 participants to enter Complejo Cultural Los Pinos. This measure is done to maintain social distancing amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Other participants may join the auction online via Zoom or by calling in.

Frontal view of the mansion (source: Tribuna)

All participants must fulfill the basic entry requirements and guarantee payments. Those who want to tune in for the auction can call to the event's number. Media will not be allowed at the auction, but the event will be posted on YouTube after it is over. Officials stated that the proceeds generated from the event will be used to build shelter homes.