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The Mexican government confirmed on Tuesday the killing of Luis Enrique Barragán Chávez, alias 'El Güicho' or 'R5', leader of the Los Reyes Cartel and identified as one of the primary individuals responsible for extorting avocado producers in Michoacán, for whom the United States had offered a three-million-dollar reward.
The Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, reported on social media that Barragán Chávez died along with another alleged member of the criminal group during an operation carried out in Tocumbo, in western Mexico, in which the alleged criminals attacked federal security forces.
“Upon repelling the attack, two aggressors lost their lives, including Luis Enrique 'N', alias 'El Güicho' or 'R5', identified as the leader of the Los Reyes Cartel and the main coordinator of extortions against avocado producers in the region,” the official stated.
According to García Harfuch, elements of the National Defense Secretariat and the National Guard, in coordination with the Prosecutor's Office and the Michoacán Police, deployed the operation following military intelligence work.
The head of the SSPC specified that 'El Güicho' had a provisional arrest warrant for the purpose of extradition to the United States and that the State Department offered a reward of three million dollars for information leading to his arrest for crimes related to drug and arms trafficking.
The federal confirmation comes a day after the governor of Michoacán, Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla, reported a confrontation during an operation in the region, although at that time he refrained from officially confirming the identity of the deceased while awaiting proceedings from the Prosecutor's Office.
Barragán Chávez had gained greater prominence within the Los Reyes Cartel following the capture of Alfonso Fernández Magallón, alias 'La Quiringua', another of the organization's main leaders, in an operation carried out at the beginning of August.
Following that arrest, authorities identified 'El Güicho' as the person responsible for the criminal structure.
The Los Reyes Cartel operates primarily in municipalities of western Michoacán such as Los Reyes, Peribán, Tingüindín, Tocumbo, and Cotija, one of the country's main avocado-producing regions where authorities have reinforced anti-extortion operations in recent months.
The organization is linked to Cárteles Unidos, an alliance of criminal groups formed to dispute territory with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) in Michoacán. In February 2025, the United States designated Cárteles Unidos and the CJNG, among other Mexican organizations, as foreign terrorist organizations.
Extortion of the avocado sector
Extortion of producers, packers, and transporters of avocados and other agricultural products has become one of the main focuses of the security strategy in Michoacán, Mexico's largest avocado-producing state.
The avocado sector is of particular importance in the relationship with the United States, the main destination for Mexican exports, and security issues have caused disruptions to bilateral trade on several occasions.
The death of 'El Güicho' thus adds to a series of recent operations against criminal leaders linked to extortion in Michoacán.
[Publicidad]