Mexico’s National Guard recently captured the extremely violent and notorious security head for the “Chapitos” wing of the Sinaloa drug cartel. President Joe Biden expressed his gratitude and appreciation on Thanksgiving Day. The aggressive and influential man in question is Nestor Isidro Pérez Salas, also known as “El Nini,” and he was apprehended at around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at a walled property in the Sinaloa state capital of Culiacan. Nestor Isidro Pérez Salas was the subject of a manhunt by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, with a $3 million reward posted for his capture. He is wanted for various crimes, including conspiracy to import and distribute fentanyl in the United States.
In addition to his involvement with the Sinaloa drug cartel, Pérez Salas allegedly participated in numerous violent acts, murders, and torture in Mexico. Mike Vigil, the former head of international operations for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, described Pérez Salas as “a complete psychopath” and underscored the significance of his arrest in Mexico.
Pérez Salas shielded the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the incarcerated drug lord, and helped them in their nefarious drug-related activities. The sons, leading a faction of the cartel, are notorious for being active exporters of fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid, to the U.S. market.
According to prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, Pérez Salas acted as the security chief for the Chapitos and led an extremely violent group responsible for carrying out gruesome acts of violence, including torture and killings. The nickname “Nini” is a reference to a Mexican slang term used to denote youths who neither work nor study. The arrest was met with approval from President Joe Biden, who thanked Mexican authorities and expressed his appreciation for their successful operation to capture Pérez Salas. President Biden and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador pledged to coordinate more closely on combatting drug trafficking, notably involving fentanyl, during their recent meeting in San Francisco.
