Rafael Caro Quintero's Caborca Cartel Leadership Exposed in New Narcomanta

"HEARST" and "Sol Prendido" for Borderland Beat

Unsigned narcomantas naming and showing the photos of alleged leadership figures from the Caborca Cartel were hung. Some of the information on the banners gives new insight as to the structure and identity of the organization. 

The Banner 

At approximately 6:30 am on the morning of December 2, 2021, residents of the town San Carlos, in Sonora, awoke to find a narcomanta (narco message banner) had been hung on a pedestrian bridge which crosses over the Internacional highway. 

A second banner, which was identical to the first banner, was allegedly hung somewhere else in San Carlos and discovered that same day.

Photos which are alleged to show the banner were uploaded online. The message reads as follows, as translated by Sol Prendido:

To all federal authorities, 

[Photos] Rafael Caro Quintero, Juan Pablo Quintero Navidad, Rodrigo Páez, José Gil Caro Quintero, Francisco Javier Espinoza Camacho aka ‘Fino’ or ‘Picipi’, and Roy Antonio Soto Quintero. 

These are the individuals in charge of heating up the towns of Guaymas, Empalme, and El Valle. In addition to charging a protection fee for all businessmen, farmers, and ranchers. 

It’s been known for years that they’re the ones directing operations. And that they’re wanting to kill the director of public security in Guaymas, Andrés Humberto Cano Ahuir.

 

The impetus of these narcomantas is likely the recent shooting on the city hall steps of Guaymas, which left one bodyguard to the Mayor of Guaymas and one innocent bystander dead. For more details on this shooting, please see this story. 

Following the attack, it was widely reported that the Caborca Cartel subgroup La Plaza was behind the attack and that the real intended target was the Secretary of Security, Andres Humberto Cano Ahuir who was reportedly standing near the victim when the shooting began. 

Alleged photo of Juan Pablo Quintero Navidad

While some of the cartel figures named and shown in this narcomanta have been known for years, some of the information is new, or at least finally more credible. Prior to this narcomanta, there were no photos of Juan Pablo Quintero Navidad with a decent amount of credibility behind them. 

Alleged photo of Roy Antonio Soto Quintero

Additionally, Roy Antonio Soto Quintero was not a Caborca Cartel figure often discussed or even mentioned by news sources covering the organization. (In fact, he has never been mentioned in any previous Borderland Beat story.) Because of this, the narcomanta choosing to name and show Roy Antonio is quite significant. 

Updated Profiles

With these two new bits of information from the narcomanta, we can update our previous profiles of the named Caborca Cartel figures, listing them in the same order that they are named in the narcomantas.

With time, a profile covering Roy Antonio Soto Quintero's cartel history will be created. For more profiles and further details please read this previous story.  

POSITION: Leader in Name for the Caborca Cartel

ALIAS: Don Rafa 

NAME: Rafael Caro Quintero

OTHER ALIASES: El Charral, El Grenas, Narco de Narcos (Source) 

STATUS: Active

PROFILE: Rafael Caro Quintero was born on October 3, 1952 in La Noria, Sinaloa. He was one of the three co-founders of one of Mexico’s most powerful cartels of the late 1970s and 1980s, the Guadalajara Cartel along with Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo and Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo, alias “Don Neto”. Caro Quintero was famously indicted for his involvement in the kidnapping and murder of US DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena and two American tourist in 1985, for the homicides committed in 1984 and 1985. With the aid of the now defunct Mexican federal police, Caro Quintero was able to flee Mexico but he was later arrested in Costa Rica and extradited back to Mexico where he was sentenced to serve 40 years in jail. 

In 2013, after Caro Quintero had served 28 years of his 40 year sentence, a Jalisco State court ruled Caro Quintero should be released on the basis that he had been improperly tried in a federal court for a crime that should have been treated as a state offense. The administration of US President Barack Obama released a statement saying they were “deeply concerned” by Caro Quintero’s release. Mexico’s Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam said in a statement that he was “worried” about the court’s decision. 

Robert Patterson, the acting administrator of the DEA, has said Caro Quintero returned to leading a drug trafficking empire, saying “He’s not just an old man trying to live out his final days. He’s an individual who continues to run a criminal organization.” The FBI’s acting deputy director said they believe Caro Quintero still resides in Mexico. Caro Quintero has the highest bounty of all the fugitives listed on the DEA’s most wanted list, with a reward of $20 million dollars being offered. 

(Source, Source, Source)   

POSITION: Leader of Caborca Cartel in the Guaymas, Empalme Area (Source) 

ALIAS: Unknown

NAME: Juan Pablo Quintero Navidad

STATUS: Active

PROFILE: Juan Pablo Navidad is believed to be the leader of the Caborca Cartel operations within the municipalities of Guaymas and Empalme. He is the son of Emilio Quintero Payan. He is the brother of Emilio Sajid Quintero, alias “El Cadete”, and the cousin of Rafael Caro Quintero. El Picipi, the leader of La Plaza, reports to him and his brother Tony Navidad. (Source, Source, Source) 

POSITION: Day to Day Leader of Caborca Cartel

ALIAS: El R

NAME: Rodrigo Páez Quintero 

OTHER ALIASES: N/A

STATUS: Active

PROFILE: El R is believed to be the day-to-day leader of the Caborca Cartel. He comes from both the Paez and the Quintero crime families. El R is the nephew of both Miguel and Rafael Caro Quintero. (Source) 

Some sources such as Riodoce have alleged that in December 2020, Rafael Caro Quintero made various trips to create peace between El R and Los Salazar’s leader José Crispín Salazar Zamorano (Source, Source) Regardless of the validity of these reports, the violence between Los Salazar and the lieutenants reporting to El R continued in 2021. (Source) 

POSITION: Organizes Drug Production in South America

Plaza Boss of Some Locations in Quintana Roo, Oaxaca, Chiapas and Tabasco

ALIAS: El Pelo Chino

NAME: José Gil Caro Quintero

OTHER ALIASES: El Jogil, Don José, El Chino (Source) 

STATUS: Active as of July 3 2021 

PROFILE: El Pelo Chino is the son of Eulogia Quintero Payan. (Source)  Early in his life, he operated in Jalisco and Morelos, mainly as a lieutenant to some major capo. (Source) El Pelo Chino was reportedly arrested in 2005 and sent to Puente Grande prison in Jalisco state. ZETA alleges Federal Police detected that he was able to direct an organized crime group from inside prison but they were unable to prove it. (Source) He was released in 2016. (Source)  In 2016, El Pelo Chino, allegedly by order of his uncle Rafael Caro Quintero, moved to South America and allied himself with a cell that is dedicated to the planting of poppies and cocaine. (Source)   

 

He reportedly has drug shipments shipped or flown over to Quintana Roo. According to federal investigation documents, El Pelo Chino maintains on his payroll several officials from the General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics stationed at the Chetumal airport, officials from the Quintana Roo Attorney General's Office and elements of the Quintana Roo State Police. He also reportedly manages the transportation of Caborca Cartel drug shipments to the states of Oaxaca, Chiapas and parts of Tabasco. The federal report alleges El Pelo Chino’s discreetness may put him ahead of El R as a potential successor to Rafael Caro Quintero. (Source) El Pelo China was one of the Caborca leaders named in the 2021 narcomanta addressed to President AMLO. (Source)

POSITION: Leader of La Plaza, Lieutenant of Caborca Cartel 

ALIAS: El Picipi 

NAME: Francisco Javier Espinoza Camacho

OTHER ALIASES: El Fino 

STATUS: Active

PROFILE: He reports to Juan Pablo Quintero and Tony Navidad, the leaders of the Guaymas, Empalme area for the Caborca Cartel. El Picipi is originally from San Ignacio Rio Muerto and reportedly has a presence in Guadalajara, Jalisco (Source, Source) 

 

El Picipi has been accused of organizing certain La Plaza crimes such the September 2019 arson that killed two children in Empalme, the September 2019 homicide of police Commander Gustavo Nafarrate and the murder of a Marine in an ambulance in October 2020. (Source, Source, Source, Source) In December 2020, El Picipi was accused of organizing the creation of a clandestine crematorium that was discovered in Guaymas. At the time of its discovery, it reportedly contained the charred remains of 27 people at the time. (Source) 

 

Sources: Infobae, Sonora Informativo, Valor por Tamaulipas 

Further Reading: 

Notable Figures: Caborca Cartel, Los Gigio, Los Olivas, La Plaza