The Interrogation of José Luis López Esquivel

An assassin from the La Plaza criminal cell, the armed wing of the Cartel de Caborca, interrogates a captured male. 

The enslaved male reveals on camera his nexus with organized crime in and around the city of Ciudad Obregón. 

His oral testimony recorded on film sheds light on the inner workings of the illicit affairs that he, along with others, were engaged in. 

Sicario: What’s your name?

Captive: José Luis López Esquivel. 

Sicario: Why are you here?

Captive: Because I was working with Pedro Palmira. 

Sicario: Who were you working with?

Captive: Pedro Palmira. 

Sicario: What’s his actual name?

Captive: Pedro Lució Flores. 

Sicario: What is he to you?

Captive: He’s my boss and compadre. 

Sicario. Why is he your compadre?

Captive: I baptized one of his daughters. 

Sicario: You baptized one of his kids?

Captive: Yes. 

Sicario: How long have you known him?

Captive: It’s been more than 7 years now. 

Sicario: 7 years,huh?

Captive: Yes. 

Sicario: So, you became a godfather for one oh his children?

Captive: Yes. 

Sicario: What would you like to say to your buddy now that you’re at death’s door?

Captive: It’s best that you be on your fucking toes because you’re about to get yourself caught. 

Sicario: Is there anything else besides this? Don’t you have anything to reproach him about? As it is he didn’t even bother answering our calls or anything. 

Captive: Thats fucked up that he’s being such an asshole about this. After all those years that I served him and look where I’m at now. 

Sicario: Were you a hardcore worker for him?

Captive: Yes I was. 

Sicario: What all did you do for him?

Captive: I would distribute drugs to the pushers out of the La Palmira community. 

Sicario: What else did you do?

Captive: Every so often he would also send me to gather the abducted and transport them to a ranch. 

Sicario: Which ranch is it?

Captive: It’s a ranch that he owns on the outskirts of the town of Los Hornos. 

Sicario: What does this ranch look like?

Captive: It’s a ranch with cabins and some streams. This is where the dead are buried.  

Sicario: Who all has he buried there?

Captive: He buried various individuals from the Miravalle neighborhood. It was me who transported them there. 

Sicario: Who did you personally know that he had buried there?

Captive: I only knew one individual by his alias. Which was Calías. 

Sicario: Besides this Calías who else can you name?

Captive: There were another four guys that I took there. 

Sicario: You transported another four guys. But you mentioned earlier that you also took a young woman out there?

Captive: Yes, it was some girl from La Machi (the Maximiliano R. López neighborhood).

Sicario: What was her name?

Captive: She was known as La Morena. 

Sicario: La Morena?

Captive: Yes. 

Sicario: You took her out there to this ranch?

Captive: Yes, I did. 

Sicario: Who helped you?

Captive: I drove her out there by myself. My accomplice drove the lead car in front of me. 

Sicario: You handed her over at this ranch?

Captive: Yes, I turned everyone over to those who killed them there. 

Sicario: So, it was at this place where they were killed. And where exactly were they buried?

Captive: They’re located behind the streams. 

Sicario: Is this where the holes were dug and they were buried?

Captive: Yes, they were buried…

Sicario: Ok, Musi what all can you tell me about El Güero Colorado?

Captive: El Güero Colorado works for Pedro. 

Sicario: He works for Pedro?

Captive: Yes. 

Sicario: What exactly does this guy do?

Captive: He’s a hitman. 

Sicario: An assassin?

Captive: Yes, a hitman. 

Sicario: Who all is with him, who accompanies this man?

Captive: That I’m aware of it’s El Meño, El Chapo, and El Negro. 

Sicario: Describe this El Meño for me. 

Captive: El Meño is a pudgy dark skinned short guy with a mustache. 

Sicario: Where’s he from?

Captive: He’s from La Machi (the Maximiliano R. López neighborhood). 

Sicario: Who else is there?

Captive: El Negro. 

Sicario: Who is El Negro?

Captive: El Negro is a skinny dark skinned guy. He also happens to be a meth head. 

Sicario: Is he also a gunman for El Meño?

Captive: Yes. 

Sicsrio: Where’s he from?

Captive: He’s also from La Machi. 

Sicario: Who else is among them?

Captive: There’s also El Negro. 

Sicario: You already mentioned El Negro. Who else is among them?

Captive: The other guy is El Chapo. 

Sicario: Which Chapo is this?

Captive: It’s a guy known as El Chapo. He’s also with El Meño’s crew. 

Sicario: Where’s he from?

Captive: He’s also from the La Machi neighborhood. 

Sicario: So, all of these individuals you mentioned are from the same area?

Captive: Yes. 

Sicario: What exactly does El Güero do for Pedro?

Captive: He’s an assassin for him. Whenever someone has to be killed they’re sent to him. 

Sicario: What vehicle is he using to move around in?

Captive: El Güero drives a white single cab Chevy Cheyenne. El Meño drives a Saturn Ion, a grey Nissan Sentra, and a gold Jeep Cherokee. 

Sicario: Have these guys killed off a lot of people?

Captive: Yes, they’ve killed off many individuals. 

Sicario: Who have you heard about that they executed?

Captive: Well, everyone that Pedro sent there had to be killed. They’re the ones who did the executions. 

Sicario: From which neighborhoods did Pedro have people killed?

Captive: Pretty much from every community you can think of. La Machi, La Palmira, La Sabe. 

Sicario: Which are the neighborhoods that you distributed drugs in?

Captive: I was solely in charge of the La Palmira community. El Gordís and El Willow were in charge of the rest of the neighborhoods. 

Source: La Masakr 3