Michoacán: The Interrogation Of Basketball Player Alexis Cervantes

"Sol Prendido" for Borderland Beat

Alexis Cervantes, the Mexican Professional Basketball player that was kidnapped by an armed group on December 21, was released on Wednesday in a rural area of ​​the Western State of Michoacán, along with the taxi driver he had hired to transport him to the state of Jalisco.

Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla, Governor of Michoacán, confirmed that Cervantes, who in 2021 played for the team Libertadores de Querétaro, in the National Basketball League of Mexico (LNBP), was found on this Wednesday with the taxi driver Marcos Sandoval Julián.

The General Prosecutor's Office (FGE), said that the athlete and the taxi driver were left abandoned and tied to a tree, on a dirt road that connects the town of San Pedro with the principle municipal location of Venustiano Carranza, adjacent to the state of Jalisco.

The two presented visible wounds, both were placed in a FGE helicopter and transferred to the capital city of Morelia, to have their health status reviewed and expand official investigations.

Alexis Cervantes was in Michoacán after being hired by amateur basketball teams in the Michoacan municipalities of Tancítaro and Los Reyes, a recurring practice in Mexico when the LNBP is in recess.

The abduction of the basketball athlete happened on December 21, after he had communicated with his family to inform them that he was traveling in a taxi from Los Reyes to Guadalajara, Jalisco, where he would then return to his hometown of Guasave, Sinaloa, in northwestern Mexico.

The investigations of the FGE reveal that Cervantes and the taxi driver were kidnapped on a section of road that joins the municipality of Vista Hermoso near Venustiano Carranza - with the Jaliscian city of La Barca. Family members didn’t make their request for help to locate the basketball player until December 25. 

Alexis Cervantes plays as a pivot and has worn the t-shirts of the Abejas de León, Correcaminos UAT and Libertadores de Querétaro, all of the LNBP, the main Mexican professional tournament.

The basketball player has also played for Frailes de Guasave, Mineros de Caborca and Gigantes de Jalisco, the Basketball Circuit of the Pacific Coast (Cibacopa), one from the Northwest and West of Mexico.

Recently, Alexis Cervantes played for Liebres de Guasave, in the Pacific Basketball Circuit (CIBAPAC), a developing league that uses professional players when the teams from the LNBP, of which the Querétaro Libertadores belongs to, is in recess.

In the bordering area of ​​Michoacán and Jalisco operate the criminal organizations such as the Los Reyes cartel, the Nueva Familia Michoacana, Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and the Caballeros Templarios cartel who are currently disputing the control of illicit activities.

Video translation is as follows:

My name is Alexis Francisco Cervantes Guerrero. I am originally from Guasave, Sinaloa. I am a professional basketball player. My career spans a total of 14 years. And the reason why I’m here is because some individuals detained us at a checkpoint. 

They found my phone with some very conflicting things in there. Which were pictures, videos with firearms, photos with the Sinaloa mob, pics of Chapito Isidro. There were also photos of my cousin who works, was working with Chapito Isidro. 

He was head of gunmen in a section of Guasave where he patrolled from the downtown area all the way to the coastal pier. My cousin had worked for many years with Chilo and 02 in the town of El Naranjo. He actually lives there in El Naranjo, Sinaloa or Sinaloa de Leyva. I don’t know where exactly because it’s somewhere within their limits. 

He worked for him. Afterwards he started working with El Gato. His boss is El Gato now. Previously for the pictures and videos that I posses for all of this. They wanted my cousin there in Guasave as support. And so he went there to patrol for them. I hadn’t seen him in some time. 

And then one day we spoke to each other, we went out to drink. I enjoyed the party life, I love the party life, I love doing cocaine, that’s the truth. This is the reason why I’m here now. Because of those pictures, those videos, and the sarcastic comments I made about the cartels here in the state of Michoacán. 

I did all this as if I was some heavyweight. When the truth is that I’m just some simple dumb ass basketball player who was showing off and trying to act like something I’m not. I threw out comments where I had said that I’d killed people and couldn’t sleep because of this. 

I said these things like if I really knew who I was. That’s the reason why I’m here. It’s not due to me being a good individual or anything. I am conscious of my actions. I am 100 percent conscious of this. I’ve been held captive here for many days now. I say this sincerely that I accept the punishment and lesson from all of this. I take responsibility for my actions…

Cynthia Arroyo

L. A. Times