State and municipal police arrested three suspected members of the Los Rusos criminal organization and rescued a fourth person who reported being held against their will following a vehicle chase through eastern Mexicali on July 8.
Agents from the Fuerza Estatal de Seguridad Ciudadana (FESC), the state police force, spotted a gold Chevrolet in the Valle del Pedregal neighborhood and attempted to stop the vehicle. The driver fled, triggering a joint pursuit with Mexicali Municipal Police that ended with all three suspects in custody.
Kidnapping Victim Rescued During Operation
Authorities also found a fourth person inside the vehicle who told officers they had been deprived of their liberty. The rescue adds a kidnapping dimension to the case, which is now under investigation by state prosecutors.
Los Rusos is an enforcement arm affiliated with the Sinaloa Cartel that operates across the Mexicali Valley and the border corridor between Baja California and Sonora. The group has been at the center of an intensifying security crackdown in recent weeks.
Arrests Follow Deadly Week in Mexicali Valley
The July 8 detentions are the latest in a string of operations targeting the group. In late June, FESC agents raided two properties in the Mexicali Valley, seizing weapons and drugs. A shootout during those raids killed a high-ranking Los Rusos leader, which authorities say triggered a retaliatory attack that left two FESC officers and one civilian woman dead.
Baja California’s Institutional Coordination Forces responded by arresting 12 people over a 48-hour span and seizing stolen vehicles, a motorcycle, firearms, and narcotics. Two suspected cartel safe houses were also secured.
On July 1, an active-duty Mexicali Municipal Police officer identified as Julio Ezequiel “N,” age 28, was arrested alongside three others: Ignacio “N,” 19; Yurem “N,” 18; and Saraí “N,” 22. All four allegedly stated they belonged to Los Rusos. Investigators are examining possible links between that group and the killing of the two FESC agents.
High-Profile Captures Continue
The pressure on Los Rusos dates back months. In December 2025, a joint operation by FESC, the National Guard, and the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena) captured Javier Gabriel “N,” alias “La Piruja,” near kilometer 57 in the Mexicali Valley. Authorities described him as a hitman leader and high-priority target tied to drug trafficking, extortion, and territorial control along the Baja California-Sonora border.
The July 8 incident was first reported by Semanario Zeta.