Around midday on August 15, the lifeless body of Mario Alberto Lugo Lara, alias “Mario Calabazas,” a criminal leader formerly linked to the Beltran Leyva Cartel and one of the main perpetrators of the wave of violence in the municipality of Sinaloa, was reportedly found.
According to initial reports shared by Ríodoce, Lugo Lara was found in a house in the community of San José de las Delicias, in the mountains of the municipality.
Apparently, he was found without traces of violence, so the cause of his death is still unknown.
Although “Mario Calabazas” maintained a low profile in the organized crime sphere, the Secretary of National Defense(Sedena) had identified him as a leader of high relevance within the Beltrán Leyva Cartel, as he led the group’s operations in the municipalities of El Fuerte and Guasave.
Intelligence reports leaked after the Army hack revealed that in 2016, this individual- also identified by the alias “El L”- was in command in the Sinaloa municipality. Four years later, under the nickname “Mario Calabazas,” he expanded his activity area to the municipalities above.
Apparently, “Mario Calabazas” was a close collaborator of Fausto Isidro Meza Flores, alias “Chapo Isidro,” the Beltran Leyva’s top leader in the region. However, recent reports of violence and threats showed an internal rift.
“Mario Calabazas, your whole family is suffering because of you! You have already done a lot of damage to the population! We are not going to stop! We are coming for you! Traitor rat!” read some flyers distributed earlier this month in the streets of Sinaloa, as reported by Ríodoce.
Army monitoring of criminal gangs in Sinaloa found that “Mario Calabazas” was in charge of an armed wing of the Beltran Leyva, known as Los Calabazas. Lugo Lara allegedly took command of this cell in September 2018 and, for unknown reasons, started a feud with his former boss.