Guide Note:
Alfredo Beltran is a high-ranking commander in the Sinaloa Cartel, one of Mexico's most powerful drug cartels. Beltran was arrested in Culiacan, in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, in January, 2008.
Fast Facts:
- Nickname: "El Machomo"1
- Occupation: Top lieutenant of the Sinaloa Drug Cartel
- Duties: Bribing officials, laundering money, arranging for drug transport, directing team of assassins1
- Arrested: January 21, 2008 in Culiacan
- Charges: Money laundering, Weapons possession
- Was found with weapons, almost $1,000,000, and several expensive luxury watches1
Sinaloa Cartel Background
While Beltran is one of the top commanders in the Sinaloa Cartel, the cartel is headed by Joaquin Guzman, who goes by the nickname "El Chapo" or "Shorty." Guzman escaped from a Mexican federal prison in 2001 in the back of a laundry truck and has been a fugitive ever since. The Sinaloa Cartel's main rivals are the Gulf Cartel, the Juarez Cartel, and the Tijuana Cartel. The cartels battle over "plazas," a slang term that refers to the major entry points for narcotics into the United States. Tijuana and Nuevo Laredo are two such "plazas." 2
