Who are "Los Ninis" and how are they connected to the Sinaloa Cartel?

After what happened on October 17, 2019, also called "Culiacanazo", the Sinaloa Cartel subdivided. Los Chapitos, the sons of Joaquin Guzmán Loera, also known as "El Chapo", and Los Ninis are now two of the most important parts of the criminal group.

It was recently reported that Mexican authorities had information about the location of two of Chapo's sons, but decided not to capture them. Through a series of emails, the uniformed officials confirmed to a DEA agent that they were targets of interest.

Who are "Los Ninis"?

Los Ninis is a group that the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena) has identified as a key part of the Sinaloa Cartel. According to emails from the security agency that were hacked by the Guacamaya group, Los Ninis is made up of violent people between the ages of 20 and 35.

According to the records that were hacked, Los Ninis is an important resource for Chapo's sons Alfredo, Ovidio, and Archivaldo Guzmán. Reports say that Néstor Isidro Pérez Salas, also known as "El Nini," is in charge of Los Ninis, though his name is written in different ways in different reports.

According to reports from the military, the main job of Los Ninis is to protect Guzmán Salazar. The Sedena says that they took part in the Culiacanazo, which ended with the release of Ovidio Guzmán. People say that El Nini was born in Aguascalientes de Gárate, which is about 250 kilometers away from Culiacán, Sinaloa. According to some unofficial accounts, he is about 28 years old.

Meanwhile, some members of the criminal organization La Chapiza have been apprehended by their adversaries.

On Thursday, December 8, alleged members of the La Plaza cartel took down and questioned an alleged hitman from the La Chapiza cartel. The whole thing was caught on tape. The man who was caught said his name was Luis Angel Olivera Hernandez, also known as El Pelon or El Gordito. He said he was from Mazatlan, Sinaloa, and that a friend had contacted him through Facebook and told him to come to Ciudad Obregon to kidnap and kill innocent people.

"The truth is, cholos, don't go around hallucinating, don't go on the trip, they are going to relieve you, they are going to relieve the family. That the thing here is their plaza, all that is a lie, I began to realize how the thing was and it is not like that", were part of the victim's statements. He even said that he tried to leave the criminal organization, but his actions earned him threats and beatings to make him desist.

In another similar action on October 30, a group of armed people subdued a man identified as a member of La Chapiza.

"People from Obregón, I am here, they have me tied up because of 'La Chapiza' who put me to work, threatening me and my family as well as me, they have two or three kids working since they do not have the personnel, some because they have killed them, others have been grabbed, others have left for lack of food, they don't even have anything to eat", stated the victim on that occasion.

Sources: Infobae