The arrest, recorded on the Public Safety Department‘s registry, occurred on Wednesday around 1:30 p.m. Nestor Isidro Pérez Salas, wanted in the U.S. on charges of conspiring to import and distribute fentanyl, had a $3 million bounty on his head.
Nestor Isidro Pérez Salas, also known as “El Nini,” the alleged security chief for the “Chapitos” faction of the Sinaloa drug cartel, was apprehended by Mexico’s National Guard officers at a property in Culiacan, Sinaloa
Nestor Isidro Pérez Salas, who allegedly protected and aided the drug business of the sons of incarcerated drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, led the violent security team known as the Ninis. This group, highlighted in an April indictment, received military-style training and engaged in heinous acts, including the torture of a Mexican federal agent in 2017. Nestor Isidro Pérez Salas and his associates were accused of subjecting victims to brutal experimentation, injecting them with fentanyl until overdose.
Fentanyl, a lethal synthetic opioid, has been linked to approximately 70,000 overdose deaths annually in the United States
The Chapitos, identified as major exporters of fentanyl to the U.S., have been operating with increased brutality since the imprisonment of El Chapo and the health concerns surrounding Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada. The arrest was acknowledged by President Joe Biden with gratitude, who thanked Mexican authorities and emphasized the ongoing collaboration between the two countries in combating drug trafficking, particularly fentanyl. Experts speculate on the timing of recent arrests, suggesting potential gestures of goodwill by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador as he approaches the end of his term in September.
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