El Chapito: Teen ‘hitman’, 14, guns down 8 people at birthday party over cartel drug feud
CHIMALHUACAN, MEXICO: In the crime-ridden nation of Mexico, scores of cold-blooded murders take place in pursuit of drugs. Such callous tragedy not only results in the loss of lives but gives rise to upcoming drug kingpins built through these bloodstained empires. In the wake of such mishaps, a 14-year-old teenager nicknamed 'El Chapito' has been arrested in connection with the drug-related murders of eight people in the country.
The pitiful incident took place in the low-income Greater Mexico City suburb of Chimalhuacan, said the federal Public Safety Department on Thursday, March 16. The young teenager allegedly rode up on a motorcycle into the family's residence and opened fire where the victims were holding a birthday party. The fatal shooting also left five adults and two children wounded.
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Who is El Chapito?
Mexican authorities have not released the identity of the teen gunman named after the mega drug trafficker Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán, who is currently serving a life sentence in a maximum security prison in Colorado, US. Although the motive behind the killings of the eight people has not been made public, the identity of the killer could shed light on the situation.
In addition, another man identified as Luis Raul 'N', aka 'El Nono', was also arrested on January 22, alongside eight people in a police operation in the towns of Chimalhuacan and Meza for drug-related charges. All the people arrested are believed to be part of the same gang as El Chapito. Nevertheless, Mexico is no stranger to killings related to drug-related rivalry.
Trails of drug-related crimes
In 2010, soldiers detained another 14-year-old boy nicknamed 'El Ponchis'. At the time, the boy who was identified by authorities by his first name Edgar confessed he was kidnapped at the age of 11 and forced to work for the Cartel of the South Pacific, a branch of the splintered Beltran Leyva gang, according to Fox News. As part of the cartel, he participated in at least four decapitations, said the teenager. Edgar told reporters he was allegedly drugged and threatened into committing the crimes.
As recently as March 3, four US citizens were assaulted and kidnapped at gunpoint by a Mexican cartel. Latavia “Tay” McGee, Eric James Williams, Zindell Brown, and Shaeed Woodard had traveled to the nation for medical treatment when they were allegedly caught in the crossfire between two opposing cartel groups. In the aftermath, one of the two Americans was allegedly murdered after the cartel mistook them for Haitian drug smugglers.