"HEARST" for Borderland Beat
Important 9/1/2022 update added to the bottom. It might have been an entirely different guy than was first believed.
Maximiliano Aispuro Álvarez, alias "El Max”, from Sinaloa Cartel subgroup Los Rusos was arrested in the border city of San Luis Río Colorado, in the state of Sonora.
The Arrest of El Max
During the night of Monday, August 29, 2022, authorities from the state of Sonora announced that Maximiliano Aispuro Álvarez, alias "El Max”, had been arrested in the city of San Luis Río Colorado (often shortened to SLRC).
The Sonora State Security Bureau reported that earlier that day, at approximately 5:20 pm, National Guard soldiers on a routine patrol noticed a vehicle speeding on Lázaro Cárdenas Avenue. They followed after the vehicle, a red SUV with tinted windows and a Baja California license plate, signaling for it to pull over, but the SUV’s driver ignored them and tried to speed away.
The soldiers gave chase and eventually the red SUV pulled into a vacant lot between 34th and 35th streets and parked. The two men were told to step out of their vehicle and they complied. Firearms were visible in the vehicle so their vehicle was searched and three loaded firearms, with corresponding ammo, were seized.
The firearms were two 9mm Glocks and an AK103-style rifle, which appears to be the KR-103. This firearm choice makes sense based on what we know about Los Rusos members and their fondness for Kalashnikovs and anything associated with the Russian military.
According to images released online, the firearms were being kept in the front of the vehicle, between the driver and front passenger seats. Both men were detained and brought in for further questioning.
One man, seen on the right, identified himself as Erik Giovanni 'N', 25 years old. The other man, seen on the left, identified himself as Jesús Manuel 'N', alias “El Meño”, 31 years old, however, investigators later discovered that this was a fake name and he was really Maximiliano Aispuro Álvarez, alias "El Max”, from the Sinaloa Cartel subgroup Los Rusos, who stronghold the nearby city of Mexicali, in Baja California.
Meanwhile, San Luis Río Colorado, where El Max was detained, is a city that Rusos have been fighting to take over. Rusos fight against Sinaloa Cartel’s Los Salazars and local groups that Salazars have franchised like Los Garibays and Los Wonders. Although both sides in this war fall under the umbrella of the Sinaloa Cartel, Rusos are El Mayo-associated and Salazars are Chapitos-associated.
The Criminal History of El Max
Maximiliano Aispuro Álvarez, alias "El Max”, is originally from Culiacán, Sinaloa. His criminal record details that El Max has been detained by police three times before this. On the first occasion, in December 2018, he was detained on suspicion of the illegal possession of a firearm.
His second detention came a month later, in January 2019. During this incident, El Max was said to be 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 drive evasively and speed away, but officers managed to box his vehicle in. Max then tried to get away on foot but officers managed to chase him down and he was detained for alleged methamphetamine possession.
At this point, in January 2019, Zeta described El Max as a subordinate of Felipe Eduardo Barajas Lozano, alias “El Omega”, as part of their article covering the incident.
His third time being detained by police occurred on April 15, 2021 but there are very few further details about what occurred.
In September 2021, three Rusos hitmen were arrested on charges of kidnapping and the repeated sexual assault of 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.
Who does El Max work for now?
Since Max’s boss Omega was arrested, it's likely that he shifted to working under the current head of Los Rusos, Alfonso Peralta, aliases “El P1” and "El Ponchito de la Lima", at some level, although he may not have worked under him directly.
It is locally rumored that the founder of Los Rusos, the eponymous Jesus Alexánder Sánchez Félix, alias "El Ruso", is somewhat retired and now plays more of a behind-the-scenes mentor role to P1, offering him guidance on leadership decisions but no longer actively participating in commanding the group himself.
El P1 in turn works for the regional boss of Mexicali and Puerto Penasco, Juan Carlos Felix Gastélum , alias “El Chavó Felix”, who is married to Teresita, one of Mayo’s daughters. Chavó Felix is presumed to work quite closely with El Mayo, and his pointman, Mayito Flaco.
It used to be said in publications like Zeta that Felipe Eduardo Barajas Lozano, alias “El Omega”, was the leader of Los Rusos, but the local rumor is that Omega merely played the role of frontman, P1 has always been the head of Rusos.
Some allege that the big arrest of El Omega on December 27, 2021 (covered in more detail here), could not have happened in Mexicali - as it did, without the explicit approval of Omega’s boss Chavó Felix.
The prevailing belief of locals is that Chavó Felix and Los Rusos completely own Mexicali law enforcement and political power, so big arrests of guys like Omega had to have been something they signed-off on… meaning what was heralded as a major blow against Rusos may have - in fact - been the fall of a frontman.
It's worth noting that the arrest of El Max is different from that of Omega in that it occurred in SLRC, which is a city currently contested between cartel groups and where Rusos do not “own” the law enforcement.
Update 9/1/2022
NarcoGuerrra_MX has uploaded some new photos (shown below) of El Max and people associated with him. He is claiming Max is a Salazar operator, not a Rusos operator, which runs counter to what publications like El Mexicano are reporting, who explicitly claim he is an Omega operator in the article covering this arrest.
The man in NarcoGuerrra_MX’s photos does look different from known photos of Rusos’ El Max yet can be seen wearing the same shirt as the detainee in the officially released photos.
When two sources directly disagree on important details like this, it's up to each reader to evaluate the credibility of each source and the evidence each source presents. But barring a fake photo, it appears that the man arrested was not Aispuro Álvarez.
Sources: Tribuna de San Luis, La Voz del Pueblo de SLRC, El Imparcial, El Mexicano, El Sol de México, Expreso, Dossier Politico, Tribuna, AFN Tijuana
Previous Events in the Rusos vs Salazar War
Although it's likely not directly related to the Salazars vs Rusos war, the loss of Héctor Herrera, alias “El Tolín”, a lieutenant under P1, was a big hit for Rusos.
pic1 Handsome chap!
ReplyDeletepic5 Officer, "you, hands behind your back + you, hands in your pockets"
pic6+7 ah, 'handsome chap' has been into the bonbons
Canadian girl💋
Agree. He's a good looking guy up until these most recent pics.
DeleteIts been said that the beard is the mans make up, shave their beard and we will see, now if you look ugly even with a beard well the next step is surgery 🤣
DeleteToo much belly fat and large chichis can't add up to good looking, thinned nose, lips that have been smacked with a donkey dong and fake eyelashes don't add up to sexy
DeleteI thought "El Rigo" was a guy from Puerto Penasco, Sonora named Rigoberto Perez Cisneros who works for Charley.
ReplyDeleteIsn’t charley a nickname for chavo felix in puerto peñasco
DeleteI'll see you same time tomorrow then?
Delete@hearst lol
DeletePobres chavos. Estan acabando las nuevas generaciones de mexicanos. Eso va tener grandes consecuencias en el futuro. Mexicanos matando mexicanos. Eso esta mal. Busquen a Cristo Jesus El Salvador. Despierten.
ReplyDeleteBuena recomendacion
Delete10:32 los que sobrevivan se van a dar un festin de viejas solteras, ahora si asta de 5 van a poder tener, y las 5 trabajando para mantener al compa! Ajuaaaa!!!!
DeleteEl 80 been eating a lot of Taco's.
ReplyDeleteWonder if they still use Manteca/lard White?
I use olive oil to cook carne , Manteca clogs your arteries.
Lol
DeleteNina said Rusos where toasts its been a few years and they ain't going nowhere
ReplyDeleteAre the wonder boys really still a thing in SLRC? They have been around forever.
ReplyDeleteWow thanks for the great details on Russos ia.
ReplyDeleteI just realized there are a lot of Felix names listed, any relation to AFO / Arellano Felix Cartel???
I think it's great El Ruso had retired and getting his pension and health insurance. The Chapitos don't let anyone retire and will kill you if you don't sing them happy birthday 🎉
1:39 Chapitos have tired Rusos and so far have failed.
DeleteThank you. You know, I'm not sure if Chavo or Ruso are related to the Arellano family.
DeleteThere are a lot of last names that are very common, especially in certain regions, so I tend to assume that people aren't related unless there's evidence otherwise.
I thought El Ruso was in Zacatecas helping out
ReplyDeleteThat’s a different ruso
DeleteI can confirm he's the one allied to the salazar's.
ReplyDeleteHe's a fairly well recognized cartel member here in the city, responsible for multiple bystander deaths.
He was even mentioned by "El Wason" during his interrogation before they dismembered him.
So it's just a case of 2 rivals sharing the same nickname, fkn salazar scum.
Yeah. I made a big mistake with this article. It's undoubtedly the Salazars El Max. This story is going to haunt me for a long time.
Delete