Sinaloa Cartel's El Bob Esponja Killed in Cajeme, Sonora

"HEARST" for Borderland Beat

The former Sinaloa Cartel plaza boss of Escuinapa, Armando Russell García, alias “El Bob Esponja” was shot to death in the city of Obregón, in the state of Sonora.

The Shooting

At approximately 7:30 pm on the night of May 25, 2022, an SUV chased a white 2013 Volkswagen Vento sedan through the Cuauhtémoc neighborhood of the city of Obregón, in the municipality of Cajeme.

When the two vehicles sped down Quintana Roo street, the sedan ended up crashing with another vehicle, allowing the SUV to catch up and armed men inside the SUV began to open fire on those inside the sedan. The men inside also had firearms and tried to return fire.  

Ultimately, the four men inside the sedan sustained multiple gunshot injuries each and the SUV full of gunmen sped away from the scene once they were satisfied that they had unloaded enough bullets into the sedan. 

The police were alerted to the shooting after witnesses called the emergency phone line. Officers found that 3 of the 4 men present inside the sedan no longer had vital signs by the time they arrived on scene. 

The fourth man was badly injured but still alive and he was rushed to the emergency room. Later the man who was injured was identified in a state Attorney General’s Office statement as Juan Carlos, 40 years old. 

Warning: Graphic photos below this point.

Officers noticed that inside the vehicle there were 5 pistols, radios, license plates and a metal battering ram. 

The three deceased have been identified as: 

Rafael B. R. who was a resident of Cajeme, Sonora.

Josue Alonso C. R. and/or Juan Carlos Camacho Russell, who was a resident of Navolato, Sinaloa.

Armando Russell Garcia, aliases "El Lalo" and “El Bob Esponja” or The Spongebob, who was also a resident of Navolato, Sinaloa.

El Bob Esponja is the most notable of the men killed as he was previously believed to be a high ranking Sinaloa Cartel (Cártel de Sinaloa, CDS) leader. 

Early into El Bob Esponja’s life, his brother César Russell García was killed due to a cartel dispute. 

César died on November 8, 1992 during the Sinaloa Cartel attack on the Cártel Arellano Félix (CAF) brothers Francisco Javier and Ramón inside of a nightclub called Christine’s, located in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco. 

The Arellano Félix brothers managed to escape the encounter alive but César, who worked as a judicial police officer at the time, did not. Press reports detail that hitmen from CDS and CAF were killed in the incident as well as multiple innocent bystanders, and it is unclear which of these groups César belonged to.

A few years after the death of his brother, El Bob Esponja joined the Army on August 2, 1995. He became a soldier in the 39th Military Zone, which is located in Chiapas. His Army contract ended in March 2001 and he moved on to join the Municipal Police in Culiacan, working as an officer from January 1, 2005 to August 30, 2007. 

At some point during his time as an officer, Bob Esponja became a member of CDS and he rose through the cartel ranks while continuing his day job in law enforcement. 

On February 25, 2015, soldiers from the Navy arrested Bob Esponja. He was found to be in possession of cocaine and a high-powered rifle. At the time of his arrest, the Sinaloa newspaper Riodoce wrote that “Bob Esponja was said to have been the ‘secretary’ of Manuel Aponte, El Bravo, who was El Chapo's security chief and who was killed days after the drug lord was recaptured in Mazatlán.” 

“Secretary” is a term for someone who manages a person’s houses and properties, keeping them running smoothly. Bob Esponja was later released from custody at an unspecified time. 

Bob Esponja was a part of the CDS leadership team which spearheaded the push to take over the port city of Mazatlán, Sinaloa in 2016. The city had been controlled by the Beltran Leyva Organization (BLO), specifically Los Mazatlecos, since their split from the Sinaloa Cartel, although truces had allowed CDS members to operate in the city. 

He worked alongside Óscar Martínez Larios, alias “El Gabito” and Saúl Ernesto Loya, aliases "El Sierra" and “El Loya”. All three men were mentioned in a June 21, 2016 banner which threatened CDS forces in Mazatlán, naming “Lalo, Ivan Archivaldo, Gabito and Loya”, referring to Bob Esponja by his other alias of Lalo. 

In October 2016, Bob Esponja was arrested by SEDENA soldiers in Culiacán. He was found to be in possession of a 9mm firearm and multiple drugs including meth, cocaine and marijuana. At the time of his arrest, Sinaloa newspaper Riodoce alleged he was the current plaza boss of Escuinapa.

Killing of Bob Esponja Sources: FGE Official Statement, Tribuna, El Sol de Hermosillo, Radar Sonora, Sintesis Noticia , Sonora Informativo, Calvarie_Locus, Extra Oficial,  Alarma Sonora Post 1, Post 2, Post 3, Debate

Bob Esponja Criminal History Sources: Aristegui Noticias, Proceso, Debate,  El Financiero, Book: Confessions of a Cartel Hit Man, Riodoce Article 1, Article 2, Article 3, El Mundo Narco