Rafa Caro Quintero’s Top Lieutenant, Chapón Assassinated in Sinaloa

"HEARST" for Borderland Beat

Left is Rafael Caro Quintero, right is his trusted lieutenant Óscar Pascual de La Rocha Rivera.

Óscar Pascual de La Rocha Rivera alias “El Chapón”, who was Rafael Caro Quintero’s brother-in-law and one of his top lieutenants within the Caborca Cartel, was gunned down on Friday in Guasave city, Sinaloa. 

At roughly 6:30 pm on June 4 2021, Óscar Pascual de La Rocha Rivera was driving through Guasave city in the Del Bosque neighborhood while accompanied by a woman identified as Rosa Elvira "N". De la Rocha Rivera parked his Toyota Sienna minivan near the corner of Jacarandas and Adolfo López Mateos street, in front of the Guasave Medical Center. 

Before De la Rocha Rivera exited his vehicle, an armed subject, who had been awaiting his arrival, shot towards him with a high-powered rifle. De la Rocha Rivera was hit multiple times and the woman who accompanied him was also injured. The armed subject who had just opened fire fled the location. 

Chapón's vehicle in Guasave, Sinaloa after being shot June 4 2021.

De la Rocha Rivera was seriously injured and rushed to a private hospital nearby for medical treatment. He, however, quickly succumbed to his injuries and died shortly after. Six gunshot wounds were found on his body. 

The location of the shooting was just 50 meters away from Guasave’s city hall and likely due to this proximity, a large security force responded to the shooting. Municipal police guarded the scene and agents of the State Attorney General’s Office processed the evidence. Twelve 7.62 x 39 mm bullet casings were found at the crime scene. 

Chapón's vehicle in Guasave, Sinaloa after being shot June 4 2021.

El Chapón

Óscar Pascual de La Rocha Rivera alias El Chapón was alleged to be a regional lieutenant within the Carborca Cartel which is led by Rafael Caro Quintero, his brother-in-law. His responsibilities included organizing drug smuggling shipments through Altar municipality in Sonora state, across the US-Mexico border. He was also allegedly the plaza boss of Caborca and Hermosillo municipality in Sonora for the cartel.  

Reports differ on Chapón’s age at the time of his death, ranging between 60 to 62 years old. He started his criminal career as far back as the early 1980s with small-time drug dealing of marijuana. Chapón is said to have become close with Rafael Caro Quintero, a founder of the Guadalajara Cartel and one of the most well-known Mexican drug lords still alive today. This relationship only strengthened after he married Rafael’s sister. 

When Rafael Caro Quintero was arrested in 1985 on charges related to the murder of DEA agent Kiki Camarena, Chapón continued working in the drug trade discreetly while also doing business as a cattle-rancher in Sinaloa. He had properties in both Sonora and Sinaloa. The Federal Security cabinet said "His main activities were the trafficking of marijuana and synthetic drugs, which he maintained after Caro Quintero's arrest, operating with a low profile and for which he established alliances with local criminal groups." 

In 2013 when Caro Quintero was released from jail, he and Chapón are believed to have reconnected. Multiple news publications describe Chapón as Caro Quintero’s most trusted friend. Chapón was arrested in Hermosillo, Sonora on charges related to organized crime in 2015 and he reportedly offered the arresting agents one million dollars in exchange for letting him go. The agents evidently declined the offer and he was handed over to the Federal Attorney General’s Office in Mexico City.

Recent Hits on the Caborca Cartel

This is not the first time in recent months that a prominent member of the Caborca Cartel was assassinated. As reported by Sandra Romania for Milenio, Fernando Delgadillo Hermosillo alias "El Miko" or "El Milko" from the Caborca Cartel was killed in Acapulco city, Guerrero just a few months ago. On the day of March 4 2021, El Milko had just driven out of a luxury housing complex when he was shot in broad daylight, in the middle of the street by a group of armed men.

Fernando Delgadillo Hermosillo alias El Milko was gunned down on March 4 2021 while inside his car in Acapulco.

El Milko was reportedly in the city for the purpose of high-level coordination of drug distribution from Acapulco to warehouses within Mexico City and to the port, where they would be smuggled out by sea.

Milko allegedly reported directly to Caborca Cartel boss Alfredo Rivas Valenzuela alias “Chapo Alfredo'', a well-known drug trafficker who operates in the Yaqui Valley, Sonora. Chapo Alfredo has been directly linked with Rafael Caro Quintero and his nephew, Juan Pablo Quintero Martínez alias “Pablito”. 

Chapo Alfredo is also the father of Alfredo Olivas, a well-known singer and the late Irving Alejandro Olivas Rojas. Irving Olivas Rojas was shot on April 17 2021 while traveling in a vehicle with his family in Zapopan, Jalisco. Some believe Irving was shot for his family's Caborca Cartel connections.

Chapo Alfredo also has strong Beltrán Leyva (BLO) associations, as his brother Trinidad Olivas Valenzuela alias “Chapo Trini” was allegedly a BLO plaza boss. Chapo Trini is also known for allegedly ordering the assassination of Tito Torbelino. 

Chapo Trini was killed in Zapopan, Jalisco in 2017 and some presume Chapo Alfredo took over control of his organization after his death. According to Milenio newspaper, in the last few years, remnants of the Beltran Leyva Organization structure within cities like Acapulco were absorbed into the Caborca Cartel which may explain the BLO and Caborca connections the Olivas Valenzuela family has. Whether the hits on Fernando Delgadillo Hermosillo or Irving Alejandro Olivas Rojas were ordered by the same group as the hit on Óscar Pascual de La Rocha Rivera is unknown at this time.

Additional photos of the June 4 2021 Guasave crime scene.

Additional photos of the June 4 2021 Guasave crime scene.

Sources: La Opinion, Puntualizando, Linea Directa, Sinaloa Hoy, Valor Por Tamaulipas , Opinión Sonora 

2015 Arrest Sources: Excelsior, El Financiero , La Pared Noticias

Caborca Assassinations: Milenio, La Silla Rota, Borderland Beat Archives

Photo Credit: Reynosa Código Rojo, Sonora Violento