El Boxer, CAF Liaison With the National Guard

On August 30, 2024, in the Zona Río district of Tijuana, a criminal was arrested in the act. Among other things, he was found with cash. Lots of cash. The arrested man readily confessed the intended use of the money: “I was going to deliver money to someone in the National Guard.”

Typically, the Baja California investigating authorities asked no further questions. They didn’t even inquire about the name of the National Guard member who was to receive the money, the reason for the delivery, or the location where they were supposed to meet. 

The arrested man was Ulises Rayas Pérez, alias “El Bóxer,” a known criminal and member of the Arellano Félix Cartel (CAF) cell headed by James Brayan Corona, alias “El Apache.”

Eighteen months later, on February 3, 2026, El Bóxer continued to serve as the CAF’s liaison with the National Guard. But this time—at least it hasn’t been proven—he didn’t deliver a briefcase full of money to the federal agents; instead, he led them to where he believed the coveted wealth was located.

Ulises Rayas Pérez, alias “El Bóxer,” was one of the two civilians who accompanied two National Guard vehicles, each manned by nine National Guardsmen, to rob the home of two doctors in the Chapultepec neighborhood on February 3.

Part of the investigation into the case was leaked to ZETA, confirming not only the CAF’s involvement in collusion with the National Guard through “El Bóxer,” but also the names of the thieving National Guardsmen who violently robbed the doctors’ family that day, stealing valuables.

Of the two National Guard units that violently stormed the doctors’ home, ZETA learned that the first was a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck, number 30995, stationed in San Antonio de los Buenos. National Guardsmen (GN) exited this vehicle and illegally and violently entered the doctors’ home.

Among the occupants of this National Guard unit were (and it should be noted that those mentioned below are presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of law, in accordance with Article 13 of the National Code of Criminal Procedure): Lieutenant Víctor Ramírez Mora, who was the commander of Unit 30995; GN soldier Erick Licona Avendaño, who was driving the vehicle; GN soldier Jesús Damián González; and GN corporal José Rivera Sánchez. Both González and Rivera were riding in the bed of the truck, while GN Lieutenant Kevin Barajas Raudales was in the cab.

The second vehicle was also a Chevrolet Silverado, but with the number 30980 and assigned to the Playas de Tijuana subsector. It was used to escort the criminals’ convoy, both the official vehicles and those of the civilians, and to conduct perimeter surveillance. In other words, they didn’t enter the doctors’ home, but they did ensure that the criminal operation was carried out.

The commander of the second National Guard unit was Lieutenant Carlos Martínez Cerino, who was accompanied by three other National Guardsmen: Corporal Juan Manuel Jiménez Vega, who was driving the pickup truck; and National Guard soldiers Eduardo Gómez Sandoval and Ernesto Osorio López.

In addition to the two National Guard units with the occupants already described, two civilian vehicles were involved in the attack on the doctors. These vehicles, along with the soldiers, participated in the criminal operation, which was captured on video by both city and private surveillance cameras, including the occupants of the residence that was violently robbed.

One of the vehicles was a white Tesla driven by two men, which was part of the National Guard convoy. The occupants were in direct coordination with the commanders in charge of the National Guard units. The other vehicle was a gray Volkswagen Virtus, driven by a man, who participated in ramming the gate of the house to facilitate the National Guard’s entry.

It is in these vehicles where, according to what the investigating authorities told ZETA, Ulises Rayas Pérez, alias Boxer, was identified as a participant, whose role was as a liaison between the CAF and the National Guard, and also active in the operational direction of the assault, since they indicate that he was the one who gave the instruction and boarded the GN unit 30995, to also enter the house and participate in the assault.

Ulises Rayas Pérez, alias “El Bóxer,” has been identified since 2023 by the Baja California Security Council as a criminal operative for James Brayan Corona, alias “El Apache,” leader of a cell within the Arellano Félix Cartel. In fact, prior to El Bóxer’s arrest in August 2024, when he stated that the cash he was carrying was intended for “someone in the National Guard,” he had already been apprehended.

It was in early February 2024 that El Bóxer was arrested in possession of a 9mm handgun and turned over to the Attorney General’s Office, where he remained in custody and was prosecuted. On February 23, his case was brought before a judge, and Ulises Rayas was formally charged. However, on March 1, 2024, Judge Óscar Saúl Cortez, known as “Judge Gran Turismo” for his tendency to release criminals while free and suggest they be housed in hotels, determined that Boxer posed no danger, since his weapon had been confiscated and he resided in the city. Therefore, he released him to continue his legal proceedings under those conditions.

Months later, when he was arrested with the money that was “for someone in the National Guard,” Boxer was not presented to the Attorney General’s Office (FGR), so he continued—according to investigators—to be the CAF’s liaison with the National Guard, until he was identified again in the assault on the doctors on February 3, directing the operations alongside the soldiers and agents of the corporation created by former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to protect the citizens, the same National Guard that, in Baja California, as is now established in a federal investigation, is an ally of the never-extinct Arellano Félix Cartel.

Source: Zeta Tijuana