SAA event in Sonora, San Luis Río Colorado area, Mexico on Fri 12th June 2026

Elements of the Mexican Navy ( SEMAR ) killed Marco Antonio Valenzuela,  alias " El Cabezón, " during a confrontation . He was identified as a high-ranking member of the criminal organization " Los Rusos "—the armed wing of La Mayiza , a faction of Ismael " El Mayo " Zambada within the Sinaloa Cartel ( CDS ). The drug lord was considered a high-priority target and a major instigator of violence in the border region of Mexicali , Baja California .

The events took place in the municipality of San Luis Río Colorado , Sonora , in a desert area located a few kilometers from the Arizona border and on the border with Baja California. According to intelligence reports, the confrontation occurred when " El Cabezón " attempted to escape from the Sonoran town toward the Mexicali Valley.

The operation began when Navy personnel spotted a late-model white Jeep Gladiator Mojave carrying the criminal leader and another individual. After signaling them to stop, the occupants ignored the order and fled at high speed, triggering a tactical pursuit through the area's dirt roads.

During the escape, civilians opened fire on the official units, forcing the Mexican Navy personnel to return fire. The shootout ended when the suspects' vehicle was stopped.

At the scene, Marco Antonio Valenzuela was critically wounded and died minutes later from his injuries. His companion, whose identity has not been released by authorities, survived the exchange of gunfire and was taken under strict military guard to a regional hospital for medical treatment.

Within the " Los Rusos " organization, " El Cabezón " held high-level operational positions in the border region of Mexicali and San Luis Río Colorado , a strategic corridor for organized crime. Public security sources indicated that the kingpin had already successfully evaded multiple capture operations previously carried out by Baja California state law enforcement agencies.

In addition to executions and territorial disputes with rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, the criminal cell led by Valenzuela controlled a wide range of illicit activities on the border, including:

- International trafficking of narcotics and heavy weaponry.

- Trafficking and exploitation of undocumented immigrants.

- Smuggling and illegal fishing of totoaba swim bladders, a protected marine species with high value in the Asian black market.

The scene of the confrontation was secured by members of the Navy, the Mexican Army and the National Guard, while experts from the Attorney General's Office (FGR) arrived to remove the body, secure the vehicle and process the weapons seized at the scene.