- Don Adán, leader of the criminal organization Los Salazar, faces charges in the US after his extradition from Mexico for drug trafficking offenses.
- Identified as an armed wing of the Sinaloa Cartel, Los Salazar allegedly participated in the drug trade, including cocaine and fentanyl, causing health problems in the US.
- Previously arrested in 2011, Don Adán has a complex criminal history, including links to the Pacific Cartel, the murder of journalist Miroslava Breach, and the disappearance of journalist Alfredo Jimenez Mota.
On Sunday, August 20th, a man identified as the leader of a criminal group known as Los Salazar was extradited to the United States from Mexico. The accused, Adán “S,” was handed over to U.S. agents at the Mexico City International Airport (AICM), charged with criminal association and crimes against health. Authorities also link him to the trafficking of large quantities of drugs to the neighboring country.
The Mexican Government authorized the extradition due to the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) efforts. “Adán “S” was subject to the extradition procedure inside the Federal Center for Social Readaptation No. 5 “Oriente” in Villa Aldama, Veracruz, because he was being prosecuted in several criminal proceedings,” a statement from the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) said.
Who is “Don Adán,” and what criminal group is he related to?
Adán “N,” known as “Don Adán,” is a Mexican national wanted by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas for distributing cocaine in the United States. He is identified as the leader of Los Salazar, a criminal organization linked to the Sinaloa Cartel.
Don Adán arrived in Navojoa, Sonora, in the 1990s and was involved in producing and distributing marijuana, according to the drug trafficking organization InSight Crime. He also served as a lieutenant of the Pacific Cartel with his sons, known by the aliases El Muñeco and El Indio. He was arrested in 2011.
The Salazars, an armed wing of the Sinaloa Cartel, were identified as one of the 10 most relevant groups for the cartel as of 2019. They are linked to the murder of journalist Miroslava Breach and the disappearance of journalist Alfredo Jimenez Mota. According to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) file on Don Adán, he was born in 1944 in Chihuahua, and Los Salazar operates in Chihuahua, Sinaloa, and Sonora.
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“Adán “S” is identified as the leader of a criminal group responsible for trafficking large quantities of cocaine from Mexico to the United States,” reads the statement shared by the Attorney General’s Office (FGR).
In addition to cocaine, some reports indicate that the Salazars are involved in the trafficking of other substances, such as fentanyl, an opioid causing health problems in the US. The Salazars also appear in documents leaked from the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena) by the Guacamaya group. In one document from the 4th Military Zone in Cajeme, Guaymas, and Empalme, the Mexican Army activated its code red due to a struggle between “Los Salazar” and “Los Chapos Trinis,” led by “El Telcel” and “El Antenas.”
In a video released last July, a man claiming to be a drug dealer working for Los Salazar was interrogated. He stated that he was ordered to take pictures of banners located on Obregon and 34th and Durango and 30th. The banners claimed that Commander Mendoza of the National Guard and Commander Camacho of the Municipal, both municipal president Santos Gonzalez Yescas, worked for the organization of Los Rusos, which are against Los Salazar.
The man declared, “I work for Los Salazar as a drug dealer; on the 21st, they asked me to take pictures of some banners on Obregon and 34th and Durango and 30th. Those banners mentioned that Commander Mendoza of the National Guard and Commander Camacho of the Municipal, both municipal president, Santos Gonzalez Yescas, worked for the organization of Los Rusos, which are against them, which is a lie.”