Notable Figures: La Línea Part I: Chihuahua

"HEARST" for Borderland Beat

La Línea Part I- Chihuahua

Notable Figures articles try to focus on contemporary cartel operators that have had major relevance within the last five years. Juárez City is not covered and instead is being treated as its own seperate entity. 

REGION: Ahumada

DESCRIPTION: Villa Ahumada is infamous because it is the land which housed the heads of the Juarez Cartel such as Rafael Munoz Talavera, Rafael Aguilar Guajardo and Armado Carrillo Fuentes. (Source) The area is considered to be the “throne” of power for the Juárez Cartel.  Detained drug traffickers arrested in Juárez city have said La Linea stores their drugs in Villa Ahumada as a last stop before they are sent to Juárez. (Source)

POSITION: Leader of La Línea - Current

Plaza Boss of Villa Ahumada - Current 

ALIAS: El Chuyín

NAME: Jesús Salas Aguayo

OTHER ALIASES: N/A

STATUS: Active

PROFILE: He began as a cartel hitman. In 2008 he was sent to Juárez city to lead a regional Juárez Cartel group. He was captured by Mexican federal police after a raid on his Ahumada ranch in April 2015 in which a shootout occurred and Chuyín’s bodyguard was killed. Chuyín was sent to prison.(Source) US federal arrest warrant placed on him for drug trafficking, aiding and abetting and organized crime in July 23 2015 (Source) But in 2020, a judge released him. He is now believed to be the leader of La Línea.  (Source)

POSITION: Leader of La Línea - Former

Plaza Boss of Villa Ahumada - Former 

ALIAS: El Borrego (The Lamb)

NAME: Rafael Chavira Renteria

OTHER ALIASES: N/A

STATUS: Inactive, killed August 2015

PROFILE: Was the second-in-command to El Chuyín until Chuyín’s 2015 April arrest. Borrego temporarily took over Villa Ahumada and La Línea as a whole while Chuyín was in jail. But in August 2015, El Borrego was killed. (Source)

REGION: Coyame del Sotol, Aldama, Julimes, Benavides, Ojinaga

DESCRIPTION: The north eastern section of Chihuahua with the US Port of Entry of Presidio, across from Ojinaga city.

POSITION: Leader of Coyame del Sotol, Aldama, Julimes, Benavides, Ojinaga - Current

ALIAS: El Coyo

NAME: Socorro Ramírez Luján

OTHER ALIASES: N/A

STATUS: Active as of Jan 2020 (Source)

PROFILE: Suspected to be behind muder of two federal agents and four state agents between 2018 - 2019 (Source, Source)

POSITION: Plaza Boss of Ojinaga - Current 

ALIAS: El Menchaca

NAME: Sergio Menchaca

OTHER ALIASES: N/A

STATUS: Active as of Jan 2020 (Source) 

PROFILE: Originally from the community of Las Nieves, Durango. After the arrest of Víctor Manuel CO, a plaza boss of Ojinaga, El Menchaca became Ojinaga’s new plaza boss. (Source) He is suspected in killing of a Chihuahua State Police commander. (Source) It is unclear if Menchaca is Coyo’s second-in-command or just a plaza boss who reports to him. (Source)

 

POSITION: Plaza Boss of Aldama - Former

ALIAS: El Coman  

NAME: Jesús Alberto ‘O.G.’
OTHER ALIASES: N/A 

STATUS: Inactive, arrested April 7 2021
PROFILE: Arrested April 7 2021, his hitmen tried to rescue him when he was captured but they failed at getting him free (Source) 

POSITION: Second in Command of Ojinaga - Former 

ALIAS: El Quemado

NAME: Neri C. A

OTHER ALIASES: N/A

STATUS: Inactive, arrested 2017
PROFILE: Arrested August 2017 (Source)

POSITION: Head of Sicarios in Aldama - Former

ALIAS: El Lacho

NAME: Hornacio S.G. 

OTHER ALIASES: N/A

STATUS: Inactive, deceased May 2020  

PROFILE: Was said to be the head of sicarios for La Línea in the Aldama region. When the National Guard tried to arrest him, Lacho tried to flee, his car overturned and he died from a shoout out in May 2020. (Source) 

REGION: Namiquipa, Bachiniva, Cuauhtémoc, Buenaventura

DESCRIPTION: The centrally located section of Chihuahua. Contains Cuauhtémoc City, the third largest city in the state of Chihuahua.

POSITION: Leader of Namiquipa, Bachiniva, Cuauhtémoc - Current

ALIAS: El Cachas

NAME: Hugo Fuentes

OTHER ALIASES: El Cacharpas, El 07

STATUS: Active

PROFILE: Began as a La Línea operative specializing in kidnapping and extortion. Alleged to have orchestrated the murder of El Máster, leader of the Namiquipa, Bachiniva, Cuauhtémoc area for La Línea and then taken over his territory. (Source)

POSITION: Leader of Namiquipa, Bachiniva, Cuauhtémoc - Former

ALIAS: El Máster

NAME: Gustavo Chávez Olivas

OTHER ALIASES: N/A

STATUS: Inactive, deceased January 2020

PROFILE: An officer of the Namiquipa Municipal Police from 2004-2006. Started working under El Ochenta. Máster is believed to have inherited control of Namiquipa, Bachiniva, Cuauhtémoc areas when El Ochenta went to jail in May 2018. Diario reports El Máster tried to prevent crimes such as kidnapping and extortion in his areas of control, but El Chachas, another La Línea operative in the area, specialized and profited mainly from these activities. El Cachas is alleged to have orchestrated El Máster’s murder. El Máster was found dead on January 23 2020. (Source, Source)

 

POSITION: Leader of La Línea - Former

Leader of Namiquipa, Bachiniva, Cuauhtémoc - Former

ALIAS: El Ochenta 

NAME: Carlos Arturo Quintana Quintana

OTHER ALIASES: El 80 

STATUS: Inactive, arrested May 17, 2018

PROFILE: Ochenta had a conflict with one of his subordinates El Cabo, leader of Cuauhtémoc. El Cabo left La Línea because of their conflict. Allegedly El Ochenta’s bodyguard Juan Luis Uribe Range was beheaded by Cabo’s people, then in retribution El Cabo was killed March 27 2017 by Ochenta’s people. Ochenta then began to try to take control of Cuauhtémoc after Cabo’s death. (Source)

When El Chuyín, the leader of all of La Línea, was arrested in 2015, El Ochenta, who had reported to him, took over temporary leadership. But then Ochenta was arrested May 17, 2018 in Namiquipa. (Source) El 32 reported to him until Ochenta's arrest. (Source) 

POSITION: Leader of Cuauhtémoc - Former

ALIAS: El Cabo 

NAME: César Raúl Gamboa Sosa

OTHER ALIASES: El Tigre (Source)

STATUS: Inactive, deceased 

PROFILE: Had a conflict with El Ochenta, see Ochenta for details. He was killed March 27 2017, allegedly by Ochenta’s men. (Source) Had as his lieutenant Julio César Escárcega Murillo, alias "109". (Source) His brothers are Édgar Alfredo Gamboa Sosa, alias “El 11” and  Luis Enrique alias “El Muletas”. Can’t find any photos of him alive but there are post-mortem photos.

REGION: Jiménez

DESCRIPTION: The south eastern area of Chihuahua. Borders the states of Durango and Coahuila.

POSITION: Plaza Boss of Jiménez - Former

ALIAS: El Mocho

NAME: Luis Alberto Méndez Martínez, called Gibrán R.S. in some media

OTHER ALIASES: El Fresa

STATUS: Arrested May 2020 

PROFILE: The Chihuahua FGE reports El Mocho has been a part of La Línea since at least 2010. (Source) He is believed to be responsible and he was detained for the 2011 killing of Guadalupe Ontiveros Dávila in an auto-repair shop. (Source) Following the arrest of Piporro, El Mocho became the leader of La Línea for the Jiménez area. 

He was arrested on May 25 2020 along with his girlfriend Daniela Cantón who is nicknamed “La Reina del Sur”, or The Queen of the South. (Source) El Heraldo reports she is El Mocho's wife. (Source) She is of note because she is the sister of Piporro and she is from the Cantón family, a family with a 20 year criminal history in the region. (Source)

There was a retribution attack on the state Attorney General’s Office (FGE) in Jiménez city on May 25 2020, vehicles were stolen and set on fire to make roadblocks. (Source) On May 27 2020 he was sent to federal prison #13 in Oaxaca. (Source)

 

POSITION: Plaza Boss of Jiménez - Current

ALIAS: El Piporro

NAME: Ricardo Arturo Cantón

OTHER ALIASES: N/A

STATUS: Active

PROFILE: He was the leader of La Línea in the Jiménez area. He comes from the Cantón family, a infamous crime family with a 20 year history in the area. He is the brother of Alberto Uriel López Cantón alias “El Doctor” (deceased) and Daniela Cantón, “The Queen of the South”. (Source)

He possibly inherited the position of Jiménez plaza boss after the 2013 murder of his brother. (Source) As of May 2020 he was incarcerated in the state prison in Cereso de Aquiles de Serdán. However El Heraldo reports he was out of prison and returned to criminal activities around September 2020. (Source)

REGION: Casas Grandes, Nuevo Casas Grandes, Ignacio Zaragoza, Madera, Galeana, Gómez Farías

Unknown who is currently in control of this area since El 32's arrest, likely controlled in some capacity by El Chuyín but it is contested by Gente Nueva. In 2020, Gente Nueva was thought to have taken Madera from La Linea and contest Ignacio Zaragoza and Galeana.

POSITION: Lieutenant, Plaza Boss of Madera and Nuevo Casas Grandes - Former  

ALIAS: El 32

NAME: Roberto González Montes

OTHER ALIASES: El Mudo (The Mute), El Coman 32

STATUS: Inactive, arrested November 2020 

PROFILE: Reported to El Ochento. (Source) Formed an alliance with El Tolteca after he had his conflict in Agua Prieta with Los Paredes. (Source) Mexican government issued an arrest warrant for him in 2020 in connection to the LeBaron massacre, he was arrested November 23 2020. (Source, Source)

POSITION: Plaza Boss for Nuevo Casas Grandes - Former

ALIAS: El 22

NAME: David Enrique F. S.

OTHER ALIASES: El Cessna

STATUS: Inactive

PROFILE: He was the plaza boss of the city of Nuevo Casas Grandes and the northwest zone. El Heraldo reports that upon El 32’s arrival in the area, El 22 was removed. (Source)

 

POSITION: Plaza Boss of Gómez Farías - Former

ALIAS: El 42

NAME: Alberto Padilla Chairez

OTHER ALIASES: El Chairez

STATUS: Inactive, arrested August 2017

PROFILE: Allegedly responsible for the attack on the police station in Las Varas, where two state police officers were killed June 24 2017. Reported to El 32. Arrested August 13, 2017. (Source, Source)

REGION: Janos DESCRIPTION: Hotly contested area right on the border of Los Paredes controlled Agua Prieta. Also contains the US Antelope Wells Port of Entry, across from El Berrendo.  

POSITION: Plaza Boss of Janos - Former 

ALIAS: El Mayo

NAME: Mario “H”

OTHER ALIASES: N/A

STATUS: Inactive, arrested Jan 2019

PROFILE: Not that El Mayo. Arrested January 01 2019 in connection with the LeBaron case, said to be the plaza boss of Janos (Source, Source)

 

REGION: Ocampo, Moris, Bocoyna, Guerrero, Uruachi, Maguarichi

DESCRIPTION: Criminal groups in these area are involved in illegal logging and in the harvest and trade of wood. Bocoyna, for example, has over 200 sawmills, many of them in the town of San Juanito. These sawmill process both legal and illegal wood from the surrounding area and provide employment to the town.

According to a 2020 report, about half of these sawmills belong to and/or cooperate with La Línea. The other half pays extortion fees (known as piso) to operate in the area. (Source - pg.20)

In addition to logging, there is also gold, silver and zinc mining operations that are extorted by cartels in a similar fashion. The State Attorney General has previously mentioned the gasoline theft being an activity that Los Hs are suspected of being involved in as well. (Source, Source)

To read more about the CDS groups close by who are contesting this region, please see the Urique and Bocoyna section, the Guachochi Section, & the Batopilas and Morelos Section of Notable Figures: Gente Nueva. 

POSITION: Plaza Boss of Moris and Ocampo

ALIAS: El H2 

NAME: César Daniel Manjárrez Alonso

OTHER ALIASES: 

STATUS: Active

PROFILE: El H2 is one of the Manjárrez brothers and he is the leader of the La Linea cartel subgroup "Los Hs". He is believed to be supporting the Bournes brothers in their fight against CDS forces.  

El H2 controls some of the mountainous areas along the Chihuahua-Sonora border, including the municipality of Moris and Ocampo. Bocoyna is partially controlled by El H2. Guerrero, Uruachi, Maguarichi are all contested between Los Hs and CDS forces. (Source)

POSITION: Lieutenant

ALIAS: El 01

NAME: Eladio Chávez

OTHER ALIASES: El Rojo 

STATUS: Active

PROFILE: He is believed to be supporting the Bourne brothers alongside El H2. Controls some of the mountainous areas along the Chihuahua-Sonora border, including the municipality of Moris. (Source)

 

POSITION: Lieutenant and Brother of H2 

ALIAS: El H7

NAME: Juan Romero Manjárrez Alonso

OTHER ALIASES: N/A

STATUS: Inactive, arrested June 9 2021

PROFILE: El H7 is one of the Manjárrez brothers who leads the La Línea group called "Los Hs". El H7 was arrested in an joint operation between the State Investigation Agency (AEI) and the Army (SEDENA) on June 9 2021. He was arrested in a hotel in Chihuahua city. The arrest warrant against him alleges that El H7 was involved in the homicide of four state police officers that occurred in 2018. The quadruple homicide reportedly results from an ambushed launched on state officers by a group of heavily armed cartel members attacked them with high powered rifles and grenade launchers. (Source, Source, Source, Source, Source)

 

POSITION: Lieutenant and Brother of H2 

ALIAS: El Harry

NAME: José Alfredo Manjárrez Alonso

OTHER ALIASES: N/A

STATUS: Active 

PROFILE: He is one of the Manjárrez brothers who leads the La Línea group called "Los Hs".

 

POSITION: Lieutenant

ALIAS: El H19

NAME: Roy Iván Manjárrez David 

OTHER ALIASES: N/A

STATUS: Active 

 

POSITION: Plaza Boss of Ocampo - Former

ALIAS: El Flaco  

NAME: Elizaldo Bournes González

OTHER ALIASES: N/A

STATUS: Inactive, killed July 2020  

PROFILE: A Bournes brother who was killed along with his brother Eleazar in Basaseachi, Ocampo municipality in July 2020. Believed to have been the Plaza Boss of Ocampo. (Source, Source)

POSITION: Unknown

ALIAS: Unknown  

NAME: Eleazar Bournes González

OTHER ALIASES: N/A

STATUS: Inactive, killed July 2020  

PROFILE: A Bournes brother who was killed along with his brother Elizaldo, El Flaco in Basaseachi, Ocampo municipality in July 2020. (Source, Source) 

POSITION: Leader of La Línea - Former

Leader of Ocampo, Uruachi, Maguarichi, Guerrero - Former

ALIAS: El Sexto

NAME: Julio César Olivas Torres

OTHER ALIASES: N/A

STATUS: Inactive, arrested 2018

PROFILE: He took over overall leadership of La Linea following El Ochento's arrest. But he was arrested a few months after Ochento, 2018 (Source)

Link To Full Sized Map

Previous Notable Figures Articles:

Notable Figures: La Linea Part II: Sonora & Background

Notable Figures: Los Paredes

Notable Figures: Gente Nueva in Chihuahua

Notable Figures: Caborca Cartel

Coming Up Next:
La Línea Part II: Sonora & Background

Sources
Sources are linked individually in the descriptions but I highly recommend all of the following Borderland Beat articles:

Who is La Linea?, La Linea vs Gente Nueva, La Línea, El Jaguar and El 32,  Narco Banners Talk About Alliance, César Carrillo Leyva, With 100 Murders in January , La Linea Regional Boss 'El Coman' Arrested, Car Bomb in Mexico Changes Ground Rules of Drug War, La Linea Boss "El Brad Pitt", Coma Santos, La Linea Commander Arrested