The Bloody Life & Death of El Moreno: New Narcomanta & Details on Execution of El Moreno

"HEARST" and "Sol Prendido" for Borderland Beat

New photos and details of the execution of Danny Isaac Ortiz Covarrubias, alias “El Moreno”, along with a new narcomanta that warns that what happened to El Moreno will be the fate of everyone who flips on their cartel.

Warning: Graphic photos below this point.

New Photos and Details of the Execution

As previously covered by Sol Prendido yesterday, the controversial former-CJNG leader El Moreno was executed while getting a haircut in a barbershop in Tecate, Baja California. 

New photos of the shooting show that the barbershop was “Plata’s Tattoo & Barbershop” which is located on Universidad Boulevard, near the intersection of Nuevo Leon Avenue, in the downtown Guajardo neighborhood of the city of Tecate. 

At approximately 2:00 pm on January 04, 2022, hitmen entered the shop and opened fire at El Moreno, shooting at least 10 times according to Punto Norte. The bullet casings would later be found to be 9mm rounds. 

El Moreno was left lying dead on the floor in photos posted by Facebook group Noticias Sin Censura Tijuana. An unknown person -likely an unrelated patron of the establishment or a worker- was also injured in the attack, with a bullet graze on one leg, of which he is expected to recover. 

According to initial reports from witnesses at the scene, the two hitmen left the barbershop after killing El Moreno and jumped into a gray Toyota Corolla. They then fled the area, driving in the direction of the El Descanso neighborhood. By the time first responders arrived on scene, El Moreno no longer had vital signs and was declared deceased.

Puente Bosco Street Narcomanta

Just hours after El Moreno was declared dead by paramedics, a new narcomanta alluding to his death appeared in Tijuana, Baja California. 

At approximately 9:00 pm, police received a report via the emergency phone line that a narco message banner had been hung on the pedestrian bridge on Puente Bosco Street in the Sánchez Taboada neighborhood of Tijuana. 

When they arrived at the location, a white cloth banner with handwritten black lettering was found hanging off the bridge. A dismembered hand and leg, each individually wrapped in a plastic bag was left alongside the banner.

Alleged photos of the banner read as follows, as translated by Sol Prendido:

This will be the fate of every turncoat like Cobarrubias aka El Moreno. 

Sincerely, 

“La Mera Verga” of all Baja shelters

As covered in more detail yesterday, “La Mera Verga” translates to "The Grand Dick", which is a slang term akin to the English phrase "the top dog". Signing a narcomanta with “La Mera Verga” is purposefully non-identifying. 

The Criminal History of El Moreno

Danny Isaac Ortiz Covarrubias, alias “El Moreno”, had his first known run-in with the law in 2010 with a drunk driving incident and later in 2014 he was arrested for drug possession. In 2016, he was identified as a cartel operator by the state security coordination table along with his brother José Giovanni Ortíz Covarrubias, alias “El Puma”. (Not to be confused with Isaac Alhiu Chávez Cabrera, alias "El Puma", from Los Erres who are also in Baja.)

El Moreno was suspected of being involved in the March 2017 execution of Ernesto Zataraín Cisneros, alias "El Netillo". On February 28, 2017, El Netillo broke into a house in the Rincón Tecate neighborhood, which was being used as a warehouse by the CJNG. This CJNG group was being lead by Fernando Rada Paco, alias "El Fer", who was a direct subordinate of the regional leader Javier López Ríos, alias "Tito Torbellino". 

El Netillo stole two drums full of methamphetamine and five firearms from the CJNG house. The property, however, had security cameras that captured the image of Netillo. According to Zeta Tijuana, CJNG operators were able to use stills from the surveillance footage to identify the thief as El Netillo, which was made especially easy because Netillo had a large and distinctive mole on his forehead. 

Alleged photo of El Netillo and the outside of the motel where he was taken from.

El Netillo went into hiding but a month later, after Netillo was temporarily jailed for a minor offense, a municipal officer tipped off El Fer’s group who followed Netillo after he was released from custody to his hideout at a local motel. El Fer and his hitmen arrived and took Netillo by force. Netillo's body was later found on March 3, 2017, with half of his face disfigured from at least 11 different gunshot wounds. 

El Moreno gained an outstanding warrant for his arrest due to evidence of his alleged involvement in the kidnapping and execution of Netillo, which may imply El Moreno was one of the hitmen working under El Fer at the time.

In November 2017, the leader of the CJNG in Tecate, Tito Torbellino was killed. Tito Torbellino was a direct report working under Jesús Alfonso Trapero Ibarra, alias “El Trapero”, a high-ranking CJNG leader in the state of Baja California

El Moreno’s brother José Giovanni Ortíz Covarrubias, alias “El Puma”, was selected by El Trapero to take over Tito Torbellino’s position leading the CJNG operation in Tecate. In turn, El Puma chose El Moreno to work as his second-in-command and right-hand man within the group. Other members of this group included: José Antonio López Jacobo, alias “El Jacobo”, and Néstor Manuel Mejorado Ávila, alias "El Chocorrol". 

In June 2018, ministerial agent Cristian Arturo Hernández Gardea was murdered and El Puma’s group, including El Moreno were suspected. 

On August 5, 2018, the wife, brother-in-law and 7-year old son of Sinaloa Cartel leader Jorge Humberto Acosta Gallegos, alias “El Güero Leches”, were killed in an attack in Tecate. It was rumored to have been perpetrated by El Puma, El Moreno and their CJNG group.

Photos from the attack that killed El Puma, El Moreno's brother

In February 2019, El Puma was executed while traveling on the Tecate-El Hongo freeway, in the Luis Echeverría Álvarez neighborhood. Two days later, a banner was hung on the La Sierrita bridge with the following threat, as translated by Sol Prendido:

What happened to El Puma will also happen to the gang of dumb asses who killed women and children. The same fate awaits everyone who supports them. 

Sincerely, 

The Sombrero mob

El Sombrero is one of the nicknames given to Ismael Zambada, alias “El Mayo”, by Sinaloa Cartel traffickers. However, it is also the alias of a Sinaloa Cartel operator, Luis Romero Fierro, who was working in the area at the time. He was a part of a group working under El Güero Leches making it seem like a retaliatory attack in retribution for the murders of Güero Leches’s family.

It is at this point, in February 2019, following the death of his brother that El Moreno is believed to have taken over leadership of the CJNG Tecate group and began directly reporting to El Trapero. 

On May 24, 2020, municipal police officers Pedro Ignacio González and Rosalba Santillán Esqueda were killed in Tecate. According to investigative reports, El Moreno and Samuel Vaca García, alias “El Primo” are believed to have been the ones who ordered and planned the hit on the two officers.

The state security coordination table investigated two possible motives behind the execution of the officers, either the officers were killed in order to intimidate and warn new officers who had refused to collude with them. Or, they considered, the two officers could have already been in league with the CJNG group, but had done something to displease them. Some evidence supporting the latter conclusion is that both officers were killed at a close distance, implying that they allowed armed men to approach them up to a conversation-length distance before they were shot dead.

On July 7, 2020, a narcomanta is placed on a sign near the town of Loma Toba, on the Tecate-Mexicali federal highway which read as follows, as translated by Sol Prendido: 

This message goes out to the CJNG mob, 

In the same manner that El Chiquilín fell, so too will these individuals also fall, because their blood will not be spilled in Tecate, you murdering assholes of women and children: 

Flavio Ortiz “El Basura”

Ulises Macías “El Chamán”

Danny Isaac Cobarrubias “El Moreno”

“El Muguelillo” 

Samuel Vaca “El Primo”

Their minions, as well as their point men will be killed first. Whoever is paying to work inside this plaza needs to fall into formation with us. Otherwise, we will kill every Ministerial Policeman indiscriminately. Beginning with Commander Corona, police officials Martínez Toledo Sandoval, and Rocha Nava Gaytan. Be fucking ready if you choose to continue supporting these scumbags. 

Sincerely, 

The mob of El Sombrero, you faggots.

In August-September 2020, rumors emerged that El Moreno was no longer with the CJNG. ZETA reports the unofficial reports were “they took him out of the cartel, for being violent and for hurting the brand,” [por jalar la marca]. 

On December 23, 2020, El Moreno’s departure from the CJNG went from rumor status to confirmed when a narcomanta with a photo showing Moreno’s face is placed reading, as translated by Sol Prendido

This message goes out to the Ministerial and Municipal policemen who support that faggot ass traitor Danny Isaac Ortiz Covarrubias aka El Moreno, 

You fucking assholes we’re going to fucking destroy you. What the fuck could you expect from a homo who betrayed the hand that fed him. 

Sincerely, 

CJNG

The message of the narcomanta seems to indicate the CJNG perceived El Moreno as a traitor and that his departure was not purely due to his violence “hurting the brand”.

The narcomanta seems to indicate the CJNG perceived El Moreno as a traitor and that his departure was not due to his violence. 

Shortly after, Zeta Tijuana spoke with a police investigator who said “it was learned that weeks ago El Moreno asked him for protection and offered himself along with his people to El Flaquito, but they rejected him from the start, because it is very hot [right now] and CJNG had put hits out on [El Moreno]”.

Execution Details Sources: Punto Norte, Noticias Sin Censura Tijuana Post 1, Post 2 

Puente Bosco Street Narcomanta Sources: Punto Norte, Noticias Sin Censura Tijuana 

El Moreno’s Criminal History: ZETA Tijuana Article 1, Article 2, Article 3. Article 4, Article 5, Sin Embargo, Ensenada Online