Noel ‘El Flaco’ Salgueiro Sentenced to 29 Years for the War in Juárez

In the State of Mexico, Noel Salgueiro Nevares—alias “El Flaco Salgueiro,” founder of the *Gente Nueva* group and a lieutenant to Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán—was sentenced to more than 29 years in prison. 

Rubén Mozo has the full story. Rubén, go ahead. Rodrigo, good afternoon to you and the entire audience. Well, yes, as you rightly said, he is a figure who gained significant notoriety; he founded the criminal group *Gente Nueva*, which served as the armed wing of the Sinaloa Cartel—the group that waged a bloody war against the criminal organization known as *La Línea* during the Calderón administration’s so-called “War on Drugs.” 

He received a sentence of 29 years and 3 months in prison; as you mentioned, he operated as a lieutenant to kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán during the era when that border city was considered the most violent in the world. He was extradited to the United States government in 2019, and in May 2021, the Attorney General’s Office obtained a federal arrest warrant against him. 

This warrant was executed in June 2021, when Interpol officers coordinated his controlled deportation back to Mexico. The criminal was detained at the border in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, and placed at the disposal of judicial authorities to begin legal proceedings. 

Now that he has been sentenced, he will serve his time at the Altiplano maximum-security prison. It is worth remembering that he was a key figure in this criminal organization. 

The city of Chihuahua served as a battlefield for many years during Felipe Calderón’s six-year term due to disputes over this border region. It should also be noted that his brother was arrested four years later in the city of Culiacán. 

He had also taken control of that organization, but was arrested in Culiacán by the army during an operation against criminal groups. There was a fine involved too, right? I mean, they imposed—remind me of the exact amount, Rubén—how much was it? 

Around 300,000 or 370,000 pesos, wasn’t it? A separate fine on top of that. Yes, well, all sentences include fines. It’s common practice to impose them, though the amounts are very small compared to the damage these individuals cause—though still significant. 

By the way, was he also designated by the Treasury Department under the Kingpin Act back in 2012? Yes, he is one of the figures flagged by the Departments of Justice and the Treasury; if anyone does business with his companies or family members, they run the risk of ending up in prison as well. It’s an entire family involved in crime—including his brothers—and now we see him receiving this sentence.

Source: Milenio