Rusos vs Salazars War: Two Police Officers Executed in SLRC, Sonora

"HEARST" for Borderland Beat 

Two municipal police officers were gunned down by hitmen in the border city of San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora. This story will briefly touch on what this may mean within the context of the larger Los Rusos & Salazars/Garibays war and cover two Rusos lieutenants in more detail as part of the first of a series covering active Rusos and Garibays lieutenants.

The Shooting of Two Officers

At approximately 6:40 pm during the afternoon of Tuesday, April 19, 2022, two pick-up trucks approached the patrol vehicle of two municipal officers who were driving on 36th Street in the border city of San Luis Río Colorado.

The pick up trucks, one white and one black, were described as being recent model and full of armed hitmen. The hitmen opened fire on the patrol vehicle, firing “at least 100 shots of high caliber ammunition”, according to an article by Marquesina.

Video contains no graphic content.

Video Source: El Blog de los Guachos

Warning: Graphic content below this point.

The incident was later described as a “surprise attack”, or ambush. Neighbors called 911 and alerted emergency services of the shooting. The officers both received multiple gunshot wounds and were deceased by the time that paramedics arrived on scene.

In photos and videos which are alleged to depict the crime scene, both officers can be seen deceased, still sitting in the driver’s and passenger’s seat of the heavily damaged patrol vehicle. 

The leading cartel news publication Zeta Tijuana had identified the two police officers as Víctor Martínez Acosta and Gilberto Robles Zepeda, who had both been working within the municipal police Transit Department - a department which is normally not targeted by cartel hits.

San Luis Río Colorado was previously believed to be under the control of the Sinaloa Cartel Los Salazar - Garibays alliance however their rival Los Rusos have made a large number of successful attacks on their control of the city and at some point Rusos may become the new primary holder of the city. 

The motive behind the attack on the officers could be the (at least currently) dominant cartel in the area, the Salazar - Garibays alliance, cracking down on a police department which has recently been less cooperative than they would like. 

Or the attack could be by a non-dominant cartel in the area, such as Sinaloa Cartel’s Los Rusos, who are El Mayo aligned, which seeks to scare the department into starting to work with them, or the attack is meant as simply a means to heat up the plaza.

A Closer Look At Los Rusos

The overall leader of Los Rusos is Jesús Alexander Sánchez Félix, alias “El Ruso”. He has been known to use the fake name of Miguel Ángel Gaxiola Quintero. There is a general belief that El Ruso is less involved in the Rusos wars over territory in the states of Baja California and Sonora as he is more preoccupied with the territory struggles in the state of Sinaloa. 

He instead, reportedly, appointed Felipe Eduardo Barajas Lozano, alias “El Omega”, to lead Los Rusos forces within these states, which he did for a number of years. 

As of the writing of this story, this is the only known photo of El Nata but hopefully more will emerge.

However El Omega was arrested on December 27, 2021. According to a March 2022 Zeta article the new Los Rusos “cabeza de zona”, or “head of the zone” for Baja California is Nathanael Pérez Robles, alias “El Nata”. Some of the cell leaders reported to be working under El Nata include: 

Maximiliano Aispuro Álvarez, alias "El Max"

He is originally from Culiacán, Sinaloa. In the year 2022, Max is believed to be approximately 28 years old. El Max reportedly has a criminal record which details three arrests. The first came in December 2018 on charges of possession of a firearm. He was presumably quietly released after this arrest. 

Photo of El Max from his January 2019 arrest.

A month later, in January 2019, El Max was driving in the small town of Pachuca, to the north east of Mexicali, right near the US border when law enforcement vehicles approached him. He tried, at first, to escape in his vehicle, but officers managed to block his vehicle so El Max exited his vehicle and a foot chase ensued. Eventually officers caught up to Max and he was arrested. He was charged with possession of methamphetamine. In Zeta’s coverage of his arrest, they identified him, too, as being a subordinate of El Omega.

Three alleged subordinates of El Max after their arrest.

His most recent arrest came roughly a year ago, on April 15, 2021. In September 2021, three Rusos hitmen were arrested on charges of kidnapping and repeatedly sexually assaulting a young woman over the course of a two week period. Zeta Tijuana identified these three Rusos members as direct subordinates of El Max and Rodrigo Martínez Serrano, alias "El Rigo", a different Omega subordinate. 

Edgar Genaro Olivas Beltrán, alias “El Pollo”

In the year 2022, Pollo is believed to be approximately 27 years old. On January 12, 2019, El Pollo was spotted speeding by police officers, while he was driving on a road near the Villa Bonita subdivision in his recent model white Honda Civic. Pollo reportedly tried to speed up, rather than pull to the side, when he saw the patrol vehicle turn on its sirens and try to pull him over. This triggered a high speed chase which ultimately ended in his arrest. 

Photo of El Pollo from his January 2019 arrest.

He was found to be in possession of 250 grams of methamphetamine and a 9mm firearm by his arresting officers. In Zeta’s coverage of his arrest, they identified him, too, as being a subordinate of El Omega, much like El Max.

More details on other Rusos and Garibays lieutenants to follow in later stories.

Previous Events in the Rusos vs Salazars War 

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Two Officers Sources: Zeta Tijuana, El Imparcial, Alfredo Alvarez, Marquesina, Mega Noticias, Tribuna de San Luis

Rusos Sources: Zeta Article 1, Article 2, Article 3