La Línea Notable Figures - Part I: Chihuahua

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Ahumada

Leader of La Línea – Current

Plaza Boss of Villa Ahumada – Current 

ALIAS: El Chuyín

NAME: Jesús Salas Aguayo

OTHER ALIASES: 

STATUS: Active

PROFILE: He began as a cartel hitman. In 2008 he was sent to Juárez city to lead a regional Juárez Cartel group. He was captured by Mexican federal police after a raid on his Ahumada ranch in April 2015 in which a shootout occurred and Chuyín’s bodyguard was killed. Chuyín was sent to prison.(Source) US federal arrest warrant placed on him for drug trafficking, aiding and abetting and organized crime in July 23 2015 (Source) But in 2020, a judge released him. He is now believed to be the leader of La Línea.  (Source)

Leader of La Línea – Former

Plaza Boss of Villa Ahumada – Former 

ALIAS: El Borrego (The Lamb)
NAME: Rafael Chavira Renteria
OTHER ALIASES:
STATUS: Inactive, killed August 2015

PROFILE: Was the second-in-command to El Chuyín until Chuyín’s 2015 April arrest. Borrego temporarily took over Villa Ahumada and La Línea as a whole while Chuyín was in jail. But in August 2015, El Borrego was killed. (Source)

Coyame del Sotol, Aldama, Julimes, Benavides, Ojinaga

The north eastern section of Chihuahua with the US Port of Entry of Presidio, across from Ojinaga city.

Leader of Coyame del Sotol, Aldama, Julimes, Benavides, Ojinaga – Current

ALIAS: El Coyo

NAME: Socorro Ramírez Luján

OTHER ALIASES: N/A

STATUS: Active as of Jan 2020 (Source)

PROFILE: Suspected to be behind muder of two federal agents and four state agents between 2018 – 2019 (Source, Source)

Plaza Boss of Ojinaga – Current

ALIAS: El Menchaca

NAME: Sergio Menchaca

OTHER ALIASES: N/A

STATUS: Active as of Jan 2020 (Source) 

PROFILE: Originally from the community of Las Nieves, Durango. After the arrest of Víctor Manuel CO, a plaza boss of Ojinaga, El Menchaca became Ojinaga’s new plaza boss (Source) Suspected in killing of Chihuahua State Police commander. (Source) Unclear if Menchaca is Coyo’s second-in-command or just a plaza boss who reports to him (Source)

Plaza Boss of Aldama – Former

ALIAS: El Coman  

NAME: Jesús Alberto ‘O.G.’
OTHER ALIASES: N/A 

STATUS: Inactive, arrested April 7 2021

PROFILE: Arrested April 7 2021, his hitmen tried to rescue him when he was captured but they failed at getting him free (Source) 

Second in Command of Ojinaga – Former 

ALIAS: El Quemado

NAME: Neri C. A

OTHER ALIASES: N/A

STATUS: Inactive, arrested 2017

PROFILE: Arrested August 2017 (Source)

Leader of Namiquipa, Bachiniva, Cuauhtémoc – Current

ALIAS: El Cachas

NAME: Hugo Fuentes

OTHER ALIASES: El Cacharpas, El 07

STATUS: Active

PROFILE: Began as a La Línea operative specializing in kidnapping and extortion. Alleged to have orchestrated the murder of El Máster, leader of the Namiquipa, Bachiniva, Cuauhtémoc area for La Línea and then taken over his territory. (Source)

Leader of Namiquipa, Bachiniva, Cuauhtémoc – Former

ALIAS: El Máster

NAME: Gustavo Chávez Olivas

OTHER ALIASES: N/A

STATUS: Inactive, deceased January 2020

PROFILE: An officer of the Namiquipa Municipal Police from 2004-2006. Started working under El Ochenta. Máster is believed to have inherited control of Namiquipa, Bachiniva, Cuauhtémoc areas when El Ochenta went to jail in May 2018. Diario reports El Máster tried to prevent crimes such as kidnapping and extortion in his areas of control, but El Chachas, another La Línea operative in the area, specialized and profited mainly from these activities. El Cachas is alleged to have orchestrated El Máster’s murder. El Máster was found dead on January 23 2020. (Source, Source)

Leader of La Línea – Former

Leader of Namiquipa, Bachiniva, Cuauhtémoc – Former

ALIAS: El Ochenta 

NAME: Carlos Arturo Quintana Quintana

OTHER ALIASES: El 80 

STATUS: Inactive, arrested May 17, 2018

PROFILE: Ochenta had a conflict with one of his subordinates El Cabo, leader of Cuauhtémoc. El Cabo left La Línea because of their conflict. Allegedly El Ochenta’s bodyguard Juan Luis Uribe Range was beheaded by Cabo’s people, then in retribution El Cabo was killed March 27 2017 by Ochenta’s people. Ochenta then began to try to take control of Cuauhtémoc after Cabo’s death. (Source) When El Chuyín, leader of all of La Línea was arrested in 2015, El Ochenta who had reported to him took over temporary leadership while Chuyín was in jail but then Ochenta was arrested May 17, 2018 in Namiquipa. (Source) El 32 reported to him until Ochenta went to jail. Ochenta had a conflict with the Bourne Brothers. (Source) 

Leader of Cuauhtémoc – Former

ALIAS: El Cabo 

NAME: César Raúl Gamboa Sosa

OTHER ALIASES: El Tigre (Source)

STATUS: Inactive, deceased 

PROFILE: Had a conflict with El Ochenta, see Ochenta for details. He was killed March 27 2017, allegedly by Ochenta’s men. (Source) Had as his lieutenant was Julio César Escárcega Murillo, alias “109″. (Source) His brothers are Édgar Alfredo Gamboa Sosa, alias “El 11” and  Luis Enrique alias “El Muletas”. Can’t find any photos of him alive but there are post-mortem photos.

Casas Grandes, Nuevo Casas Grandes, Ignacio Zaragoza, Madera

Unknown who is currently in control of this area since El 32′s arrest, likely controlled in some capacity by El Chuyín and also likely contested to some degree by Los Salazar/Gente Nueva.

Lieutenant, Plaza Boss of Madera and Nuevo Casas Grandes – Former  

ALIAS: El 32

NAME: Roberto González Montes

OTHER ALIASES: El Mudo (The Mute), El Coman 32

STATUS: Inactive, arrested November 2020

PROFILE: Reported to El Ochento. (Source) Formed an alliance with El Tolteca after he had his conflict in Agua Prieta with Los Paredes. (Source) Mexican government issued an arrest warrant for him in 2020 in connection to the LeBaron massacre, he was arrested November 23 2020. (Source, Source)

Gómez Farías

Unknown who is currently in control of this area since El 42′s arrest, some reports indicated it is now under El Cachas’s control. 

Plaza Boss of Gómez Farías – Former

ALIAS: El 42

NAME: Alberto Padilla Chairez

OTHER ALIASES: El Chairez

STATUS: Inactive, arrested August 2017

PROFILE: Allegedly responsible for the attack on the police station in Las Varas, where two state police officers were killed June 24 2017. Reported to El 32. Arrested August 13, 2017. (Source, Source)

Janos

Hotly contested area right on the border of Los Paredes controlled Agua Prieta. Also contains the US Antelope Wells Port of Entry, across from El Berrendo.  

Plaza Boss of Janos – Former 

ALIAS: El Mayo

NAME: Mario “H”

OTHER ALIASES: N/A

STATUS: Inactive, arrested Jan 2019

PROFILE: Not that El Mayo. Arrested January 01 2019 in connection with the LeBaron case, said to be the plaza boss of Janos (Source, Source)

Ocampo

Area of western Chihuahua, near the border of Sonora but not on the border. 

Plaza Boss of Ocampo – Former

ALIAS: El Flaco  

NAME: Elizaldo Bournes González

OTHER ALIASES: N/A

STATUS: Inactive, killed July 2020

PROFILE: A Bournes brother who was killed along with his brother Eleazar in Basaseachi in July 2020. Believed to have been the Plaza Boss of Ocampo. (Source, Source)

Unknown

ALIAS: Unknown  

NAME: Eleazar Bournes González

OTHER ALIASES: N/A

STATUS: Inactive, killed July 2020

PROFILE: A Bournes brother who was killed along with his brother Elizaldo, El Flaco in Basaseachi in July 2020. (Source, Source) 

Plaza Boss of Moris

ALIAS: El H2 

NAME: César Daniel Manjarrez Alonso

OTHER ALIASES: 

STATUS: Active

PROFILE: Believed to be supporting the Bourne brothers alongside El 01. Controls some of the mountainous areas along the Chihuahua-Sonora border, including the municipality of Moris. (Source)

High Ranking in Moris Group

ALIAS: El 01

NAME: Eladio Chávez

OTHER ALIASES: El Rojo 

STATUS: Active

PROFILE: Believed to be supporting the Bourne brothers alongside El H2. Controls some of the mountainous areas along the Chihuahua-Sonora border, including the municipality of Moris. (Source)

Lieutenant and Brother of H2 

ALIAS: El H7

NAME: Homero Manjarrez Alonso

OTHER ALIASES: N/A

STATUS: Active 

Lieutenant and Brother of H2 

ALIAS: El Harry

NAME: José Alfredo Manjarrez Alonso

OTHER ALIASES: N/A

STATUS: Active

Next part will be La Línea Part II: State of SonoraWhich will look at some locations the Bournes brothers/ La Línea have influence in within the state of Sonora. An overview of some recent history such as conflicts with Los Paredes in Agua Prieta and the fight for power after the death of Chupon in Yercora. Possibly some founding figures like EL JL and El Viceroy and early leaders.

If you see anything you think is not accurate, link me a verifiable source and I will update the information. Also if you have any verifiable photos of people without a photo, please send me a link. Email: [email protected] or comment below. 

Sources

Sources are linked individually in the descriptions but I highly recommend all of the following Borderland Beat articles, couldn’t have compiled this without them and all the hard work from other contributors: Who is La Linea?, La Linea vs Gente Nueva, La Línea, El Jaguar and El 32,  Narco Banners Talk About Alliance, César Carrillo Leyva, With 100 Murders in January , La Linea Regional Boss ‘El Coman’ Arrested, Car Bomb in Mexico Changes Ground Rules of Drug War, La Linea Boss “El Brad Pitt”, Coma Santos, La Linea Commander Arrested