Ladies and gentlemen, how are you all doing? A very, very good morning to you. I’m Paco Zea, and here is the news. Federal forces have dealt another blow to organized crime—this time in Naucalpan, in the State of Mexico. Edgar Aarón, alias “El General”—the leader and founder of the “Nuevo Imperio” (New Empire) cartel—was killed.
The kingpin fell when armed individuals opened fire on agents who were attempting to execute an arrest warrant related to organized crime charges. Also killed alongside “El General” was an associate known as “El Ronco,” a former operations director for the State of Mexico Prosecutor’s Office. Just imagine that.
The “Nuevo Imperio” cartel originated from a cell linked to the Sinaloa Cartel. The group began operating independently in 2017 under the leadership of “El General” (Néstor López Arellano, also known as “El 20”) and “El 19” (Gustavo Aldair). Their reach extended into Mexico City, the State of Mexico, and Morelos.
The cartel wasn’t only involved in small-scale drug dealing; it was also implicated in kidnapping, extortion, and homicide. This matter is of particular significance to the Secretary of Citizen Security, Omar García Harfuch, because this individual—this wretch—not only led the cartel but is also alleged to be the mastermind behind the assassination of police commander Milton Morales Figueroa.
That killing took place in July 2024, when a man shot the commander in the back while he was standing in line outside a poultry shop in Coacalco. Eleven people were arrested in connection with this crime, including the shooter, identified as Jorge Leonel, alias “El Leo.”
This criminal’s ties extended well beyond the “Nuevo Imperio” cartel; the U.S. Department of the Treasury identifies him as a protector of J. Ryan Wedding—a former Canadian Olympic athlete arrested in January for leading an international cocaine trafficking network linked to the Sinaloa Cartel.
El General provided protection to Wedding within Mexican territory and used his police contacts to help him locate rivals of his organization. As I mentioned, Milton—the boss, Milton—was very close to him. Regarding the attack on Omar García Harfuch, that was an incident that deeply affected him; and yesterday, on his social media, he was—well, perhaps not celebrating the death itself, but certainly the downfall of this wretched, accursed man.
Ryan Wedding’s network not only enjoyed criminal protection but also received assistance from within the Mexican judiciary. Judge Luis Benítez was arrested in Colombia, accused by the United States of accepting alleged bribes totaling $2 million in February 2025 in exchange for the release of Andrew Clark—the second-in-command of the former athlete’s organization.
The U.S. government is now seeking his extradition to face nine federal charges. The Department of Justice also reported that the arrest took place on Sunday at Colombia’s El Dorado Airport. According to Interpol, Judge Benítez had planned to meet with criminal organizations to coordinate the shipment of cocaine hydrochloride to Central America and the United States.
Isn’t that just lovely—having a former operational director from the prosecutor’s office and a judge involved in all of this? We really need to take a fresh look at who exactly holds positions within the judiciary and, of course, within the prosecutor’s offices as well. But who is this Luis Benítez? He had a career spanning more than 20 years in the judiciary.
Prior to his arrest, he served at the Reclusorio Sur (Southern Penitentiary). He was the one who refused to issue an arrest warrant for Víctor Manuel Álvarez Puga in a tax fraud case, and he presided over hearings for high-profile proceedings, such as those involving Emilio Lozoya and the “Estafa Maestra” (Master Scam) scandal. Just imagine that—it’s like putting the fox in charge of the henhouse.
Source: Imagen Noticias
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