Sinaloa Cartel Operator 'El Cumbias' Sentenced to 160 Years for 2010 Creel Massacre

"Morogris" for Borderland Beat

Surveillance cameras captured Sinaloa Cartel leader Enrique Lopez Acosta, also known as El Cumbias, on the day of the Creel massacre in Chihuahua. This footage served as crucial evidence that contributed to his conviction

Sinaloa Cartel operator Enrique López Acosta, also known by the alias El Cumbias, received a 160-year prison sentence today for his role in the 2010 Creel, Chihuahua massacre. 

This verdict marks a significant achievement for Mexican prosecutors, who persevered for many years to secure a conviction against El Cumbias for an incident where cartel members seized control of Creel and killed eight people. Verdicts of this nature are unfortunately infrequent in Mexico, a country where the majority of murders and mass killings often go unpunished.

El Cumbias was a ringleader of the Gente Nueva faction of the Sinaloa Cartel and was initially arrested in December 2010 in Delicias, Chihuahua. Although released from prison last year due to lack of evidence, he was subsequently re-apprehended.

He was incarcerated solely on charges related to vehicle theft, as his defense team successfully persuaded judges that El Cumbias was not the individual depicted in the massacre videos. However, Judges Claudia Cony Velarde, César Ramírez Franco, and Gerardo Acosta Barrera unanimously declared El Cumbias guilty today after a decade-long case.

The massacre

The infamous Creel massacre, taking place on March 15, 2010, garnered national and international attention when a surveillance camera recorded El Cumbias and his armed associates executing a brazen commando-style assault in broad daylight.

The footage vividly portrays the assailants methodically taking control of Creel. They block streets, forcibly remove drivers from their vehicles, and carry out ruthless killings without hesitation.

Initially broadcasted on the Televisa network's show Punta y Partida, hosted by Denise Maerker in Mexico City, gained widespread popularity. The recorded sequence revealed a convoy of vehicles arriving as armed men swarm the town.

At one point, the camera zooms in on a grey SUV, where an individual extracts a bag of white powder. This person is seen sharing the substance with several gunmen, indulging in it himself by snorting handfuls.

Wanted bulletin picturing El Cumbias and other sicarios; the picture on the bottom left shows him inside the vehicle

The armed individuals then initiated their actions, setting up checkpoints, pulling drivers out of their vehicles, and conducting searches for weapons. Simultaneously, another group surrounded a spacious house, forcefully gaining entry through the door, with visible flashes of gunfire at the entrance. Reportedly, this residence belonged to a businessman and his family. State authorities asserted that they lacked precise information on the exact number of casualties on that fateful day.

As per local media accounts, the assailants fatally shot nine individuals and injured six, including a 12-year-old girl. Confirming at least eight fatalities, this tragic toll included an 18-year-old woman. Initially hesitant to attribute the attacks to a specific cartel, state authorities later confirmed the involvement of Gente Nueva, a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel.

Sources: Diario de Juarez; Borderland Beat Archives