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No one is safe from the ruthless reach of drug cartels. Join us as we count down some of the most shocking and notorious assassinations and hits ever carried out by these criminal organizations. From targeted killings of journalists and activists to large-scale massacres, these acts of violence left an undeniable mark on history. Which of these hits shocked you the most? Let us know in the comments!
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00:00A day after the attack, residents of the city are on edge.
00:03Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at some of the most shocking and notorious acts
00:08committed by cartels. Who love fishing, who love family and friends.
00:14Hugo Hernandez. When cartels feud with one another, the consequences are brutal.
00:19One of the worst examples occurred in 2010. Hugo Hernandez had been in Sonora,
00:26an area known for growing illicit substances, when he was suddenly captured and taken to
00:30Sinaloa. Days afterward, his remains were found scattered around Los Mochis.
00:36Not only had he been severed into seven pieces, his face had been removed and reattached to a
00:41soccer ball. Along with the gruesome scene was a threatening note. It's believed he was used to
00:46send a message to the Juarez cartel from one of their adversaries, although the reason he was
00:51specifically chosen is still unknown. The 2011 Durango Massacres. In 2011, authorities in
00:58Durango, Mexico learned the true extent of how intense cartel rivalries could be.
01:02Hundreds of bodies were discovered in mass graves throughout the city.
01:15While many of the victims were unidentifiable, some were believed to have been enemies of the
01:21infamous Sinaloa cartel. There had also reportedly been internal tensions that may have contributed to
01:26the violent outcome. Seven makeshift burial grounds were discovered, including in seemingly benign places
01:32such as auto shops. Despite the sheer amount of people that had been slain, little progress was
01:37made in finding the culprits responsible, and they remain unidentified more than a decade later.
01:42Do you want to find the guys responsible, yes or no?
01:45Yes.
01:45Yes?
01:46Yes!
01:47The Morelia grenade attacks. Not even national celebrations are safe from the cruelty of organized
01:52crime. On September 15, 2008, thousands gathered in Morelia to celebrate Mexican Independence Day.
02:03Then, suddenly, two grenades were thrown. The blast led to the deaths of eight people,
02:08along with over 100 being injured. In an instant, what had once been a joyous occasion had been turned
02:14into one full of violence and heartbreak. La Familia Michoacana was blamed, who in turn pinned it on
02:19another cartel, Los Cetas. While members of the latter were initially arrested, the true culprit is
02:25unknown. Now, a day that many once associated with freedom is now tainted by the memories of the
02:31violent act. Adler Barrowman Barry Seal. Aligning with the cartel is dangerous enough. Turning your
02:37back on them is a death sentence. United States citizen Barry Seal learned that when he was
02:42assassinated by the very group he worked for.
02:44I'm not a drug smuggler. I say prove it. Where's the proof?
02:51It began years earlier in 1981, when he began transporting illegal substances for the Medellin
02:56cartel. That same year, the DEA caught wind of his operation, and it wasn't long before he was caught.
03:03Seal then agreed to work with the government in a sting operation. The act won him his freedom,
03:08but turned the criminal organization against him.
03:10It was apparent to me, even at that time, that Barry was, in fact, a target.
03:15In 1986, he was approached by a contract killer and silenced for good. His demise remains a warning
03:21about the potential deadly consequences that may come with working with those crime syndicates.
03:26You know, I guess you could say I helped build an army, defend a country, and create the biggest
03:32drug cartel this world's ever seen.
03:35Nepomuceno Moreno Nunez. Nepomuceno Moreno Nunez became an activist following the
03:40sudden disappearance of his son in 2010.
03:42My boy is gone.
03:44He spoke out against the cartels and even took his concerns to the nation's leader.
03:48As such, he was threatened with death. But even with those looming threats,
03:52Nunez wasn't offered any protection. In November of 2011, those threatening them made good on their
03:58promise. He was assassinated while crossing the street, targeting both him and his message at once.
04:03The fact that he was attacked despite his non-violent approach sent a message that anyone
04:08speaking out against them wasn't safe from their wrath.
04:16Roberto Javier Mora Garcia. Journalists are also at risk. And there's no better example than
04:22Roberto Javier Mora Garcia. He contributed to several publications in Mexico, and a good portion of his
04:28work addressed the government's relationship with the Gulf Cartel.
04:31The Gulf Cartel once controlled vital trafficking routes that moved drugs from Colombia through
04:36Mexico and into the U.S.
04:38Whether he called out specific authorities or revealed the identities of traffickers,
04:43it was clear he prioritized the truth over the potential repercussions.
04:47On March 19, 2004, Garcia was stabbed over two dozen times. To this day, his assassin is still unknown.
04:54And with the one confirmed suspect having been killed in prison,
04:58it doesn't seem this case will be solved anytime soon.
05:01Antonio Rodin Betancourt. An assassination doesn't have to be intentional to be infamous.
05:06In 1989, Antioquia governor Antonio Rodin Betancourt was driving through the city when a car rigged with
05:13explosives was detonated as he drove past. The impact of the blast was so severe that five other people
05:21perished, and his vehicle was launched in the air, which led to immense damage to multiple homes in the
05:27area. In one brutal moment, the state had lost its leader. His death was made even more senseless by the
05:32realization that he hadn't been the target in the first place, but rather the local police commander.
05:37It was eventually revealed that one of the Medellin cartel's most prominent members had been involved with the
05:42fatal incident.
05:43The 2012 Nuevo Laredo Massacres. One of the most violent conflicts occurred in 2012 between the Gulf Cartel and Los
05:50Zetas.
05:52Both organizations wanted control over the border city of Nuevo Laredo. On May 4, nine bodies were
05:59discovered hanging from a public structure. They were allegedly Gulf syndicate members targeted by
06:03Los Zetas. Hours later, another 14 headless bodies were found abandoned in a car, which was believed to
06:10have been a counterattack. The brutal attacks highlighted the animosity between the two groups,
06:15and how both had no regard for the humanity of their enemies. The Tijuana Rampage. There have,
06:21unfortunately, been multiple corruption cases involving the Mexican police force. While some have simply ignored
06:27criminal activity, others have gotten directly involved in it.
06:30I'll honor your works for anyone who will point him toward the people who made him.
06:38Us.
06:39However, that hasn't given them total immunity from cartels. In 2023, some officers learned
06:45this the hard way after they snatched a multi-kilo shipment of illicit substances reportedly meant for the
06:50Sinaloa cartel.
06:51The organization El Chapo built is very much intact.
06:54It didn't take long before the syndicate enacted their revenge, shooting at federal buildings.
06:59Six officers were killed and five more injured. It highlighted the extreme violence taking place,
07:05and showed that citizens couldn't even trust the police to have their best interests at heart.
07:09Juan Jesus Posadas Ocampo.
07:11Whether it was a case of mistaken identity or a planned attack, the cartel's presence is the main catalyst
07:17for a religious leader's death. In 1993, Cardinal Juan Jesus Posadas Ocampo was shot more than two
07:23dozen times by hitmen enlisted by the Tijuana cartel.
07:35According to official reports, they had been tasked with taking out infamous kingpin El Chapo,
07:40and had gotten them confused. However, others believe that the cardinal was targeted by the
07:45government to prevent their supposed connections with trafficking circles from coming to light.
07:49The leader of the Tijuana syndicate was charged with conspiracy following the cardinal's death.
07:53However, those closest to Posadas claimed he'd been threatened by them weeks beforehand.
07:58Consternación y duelo general en México por el asesinato del cardenal Juan Jesús Posadas Ocampo.
08:05Fernando Villavicencio.
08:06Fernando Villavicencio was always outspoken about alleged links between politicians and organized crime.
08:14Before entering politics, Villavicencio was an investigative journalist who criticized former
08:19President Rafael Correa. As such, he spent time in prison and in exile. After Ecuador's National
08:25Assembly was dissolved, Villavicencio ran for the presidency. In August 2023, after getting threats
08:31from gangs, he was leaving a campaign rally in the capital city, Quito. Just as Villavicencio got to
08:36his car, he was ambushed and fatally shot. The assassin, Johan David Castillo López, also threw a grenade,
08:43which thankfully did not go off. Nine people were injured, and López died from gunshot wounds.
08:49The criminal group Los Lobos claimed responsibility for the attack, but this is disputed. Several people
08:54were arrested in connection with the assassination. However, all of them were killed in prison.
08:59Two daughters remembering their father. A very personal goodbye after what was a very public murder.
09:06Rodrigo Lara. In 1983, Lara was appointed Colombia's Minister of Justice by President
09:11Belisario Betancur. He soon began targeting criminal organizations, corrupt politicians,
09:17and Pablo Escobar and his group the Medellín Cartel. Lara's interference contributed to Escobar's
09:22expulsion from Congress and investigation by authorities. In April 1984, Lara was traveling in a convoy when
09:29Biron Velázquez and Ivan Dario Guisado, paid by the Medellín Cartel, drove up to his vehicle on motorbikes
09:35and opened fire, killing the minister. While Guisado was slain by Lara's bodyguard, Velázquez was later
09:48arrested for the assassination and then paroled in 1995. Escobar fled to Panama days after Lara's
09:54murder, as the government looked for justice. He didn't wear it. Wouldn't have made a difference.
10:02Jaime Ramirez. Working alongside Rodrigo Lara in stamping out cartel influence was Colonel Ramirez,
10:09director of the Colombian Drug Enforcement Unit for the National Police of Colombia. In 1984,
10:14Ramirez was involved in an operation with the DEA to find the Medellín Cartel's stash in the jungle,
10:19delivering a huge blow to the group. But this made Ramirez a target. In November 1986, while traveling
10:26with his family, unknown assassins connected to the Medellín Cartel drove their vehicle alongside
10:31Ramirez's car. After taking out the car that contained Ramirez's bodyguards, they opened fire.
10:37They wounded Ramirez, causing him to crash before finishing the job.
10:48In 1992, Ramirez was posthumously awarded the title of Brigadier General, a position he was meant
10:54to have a month after his passing. Margarito Martinez.
11:08As a photojournalist specializing in crime in Tijuana, Mexico, Martinez was a well-known figure
11:13in the community. However, he was falsely linked to a Facebook group that openly criticized cartels
11:19and unmasked members' identities. After receiving threats, Martinez was in the process of getting
11:24governmental help when, in January 2022, he was fatally shot.
11:28He'd reported and been incorporated into a mechanism to protect journalists, but despite
11:34this mechanism, he was still murdered. Adrián El Huber Ramos and José El Hueso Ochoa were reportedly
11:39paid around $2,500 to assassinate Martinez. In December 2022, the duo was both sentenced to 25 years
11:47in jail in order to pay $25,000 compensation to Martinez's family. As of the time of writing,
11:54the people who ordered the journalist's murder have not been charged.
12:03Chalino Sanchez.
12:10After working with his brother Armando as a coyote, an immigrant smuggler, everything changed for Sanchez
12:15in 1984 when his brother was murdered. He began creating music, becoming a recognizable talent in
12:21Mexico and California. In May 1992, four months after surviving an attack at a gig in Coachella,
12:27Sanchez was handed an alleged threat while performing in Culiacán, Mexico.
12:39As he left the venue with his family, an armed group pulled over their vehicle and took Sanchez. His
12:44body was found the next day, seemingly executed by a cartel. Another musician who was allegedly
12:50murdered by the Los Zetas group was Valentín Elizalde in 2006. Only a year later, Sergio Gomez
12:56was fatally attacked by an apparent gang.
13:07Jaime Zapata. Zapata says while her son chose a life of service, these men chose a life of crime.
13:13Now she questions what message the U.S. government is sending to others about crimes against federal
13:19agents. In February 2011, Zapata and Victor Avila, two agents with the U.S. Immigration and Customs
13:25Enforcement, were traveling from Laredo, Texas to Mexico City. While driving in the Mexican state
13:30of San Luis Potosí, two speeding vehicles appeared, began opening fire, and rammed the
13:35agent's car off the road. Even though Zapata and Avila loudly shouted they were U.S. diplomats,
13:40the armed men continued shooting, injuring the agents and fleeing.
13:44Their vehicle was cut off and bandits attacked. Both agents were critically injured by gunfire.
13:50Zapata drove away from the scene before collapsing and passing away. Avila was treated for his wounds.
13:55The Los Zetas cartel was responsible for the attack. And eventually, the murderers were arrested.
14:01Agent Zapata's story is one that we must not forget. And it is one that we will not.
14:07The 2010 San Fernando Massacre.
14:10This monument reminds us the impunity that we have in our country.
14:15In 2010, as a war between former allies Los Zetas and the Gulf cartel consumed the Mexican city of San
14:22Fernando, an injured Ecuadorian teenager called Luis approached some Mexican Marines. He told them
14:27he had just survived a terrible massacre. Luis had been part of a group of immigrants traveling
14:32towards the U.S. who were taken to a warehouse by members of Los Zetas. There, the gang executed 72
14:38people, with only three lucky individuals surviving. The group apparently did this to steal money,
14:44get information, and make sure the immigrants were not working with the Gulf cartel.
14:48Los Zetas are also believed to have slain two of the investigators into the massacre. Eventually,
14:5381 members of the gang were arrested.
14:56Enrique Kiki Camarena.
14:58After working for the police, Camarena joined the recently formed U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration
15:03in 1973. Eventually, he joined the branch in Guadalajara, Mexico, where his work led to
15:09several plantations being seized. In February 1985, Camarena was abducted by corrupt officials.
15:23He was believed to have been responsible for the closure of the 2,500-acre site known as Rancho
15:28Buffalo the year before, leading to retaliation. Camarena's body was found a month later,
15:33showing signs of abuse. The investigation concluded that Guadalajara cartel founders
15:38Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, Rafael Caro Quintero, and Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo were responsible,
15:44getting a sentence of 40 years each. Several others were sentenced for their participation too.
15:49However, there have been allegations the CIA was also involved.
15:53Whatever they want. Whatever they're looking for.
16:02You don't know anything.
16:04The Monterey Casino Attack.
16:05President Felipe Calderón came to the crime scene on Friday and placed a wreath in front of the
16:10charred building. In August 2011, members of the Los Cetas cartel sought revenge for the Casino
16:16Royale in Monterey, Mexico. The owner had not paid a protection payment, so they decided to send a
16:21message. The cartel forced their way into the casino, pouring gasoline everywhere as people ran
16:27for the emergency exits, only to find the doors locked. Then, Los Cetas set the building on fire
16:32and left within three minutes of arriving. All of this was captured on surveillance footage.
16:37When emergency services arrived, they found the bodies of 52 people inside and many injured.
16:42By 2022, only five people who were linked to the attack were arrested on unrelated weapon charges.
16:48The attackers are said to have doused flammable liquid in the casino and then set it alight.
17:19When I rise, you fill my head. In every dream, it's you I've made.
17:27The 2011 San Fernando Massacre.
17:30The Zetas have moved in. They are Mexico's most violent, most depraved, most feared crime cartel.
17:36In March 2011, over several days, public transport buses filled with passengers in San Fernando,
17:43Mexico were taken by Los Cetas. It's speculated the group did this to force people to work with them
17:48or interrogate passengers suspected of involvement with the Gulf Cartel. The kidnapped people were
17:53assaulted and many allegedly made to fight each other in gladiator-style fights. Over several weeks,
17:59the authorities began finding numerous mass graves. In the end, 193 bodies were discovered.
18:05Soon after, 82 people involved with Los Cetas were arrested in connection with the massacre.
18:1016 corrupt police officers were imprisoned for aiding the gang.
18:14This horrific event led to the cartel's higher-ups, such as Miguel Trevino Morales being imprisoned.
18:20He was captured on this country road near the Texan border. With him, his bodyguard,
18:25his accountant, $2 million in cash. Which leader of a criminal organization is the most frightening?
18:30Pablo Escobar? Ronnie and Reggie Cray? Griselda Blanco? Al Capone or someone else?
18:36Which of these hits shocked you the most? Let us know in the comments.
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