Laundromat Execution: Two Quinteros Gunned Down in Mexico State

Gunmen stormed a laundromat in Cuautitlán Izcalli, State of Mexico, and executed two young men in broad daylight—just steps from the Mexico–Querétaro highway. Surveillance footage from inside Ultra Clean, located in Plaza Arkana Norte, captured three armed men entering the business and opening fire without saying a word.

The targets were three young men going about their routine. Two were killed on the spot. A third managed to hide behind a row of washing machines, surviving with injuries. One of the gunmen slipped during the ambush, but all three continued firing. A young female employee remained behind the counter, head down, visibly in shock.

When police arrived, they found a 23-year-old man from Culiacán still alive. He was taken to the hospital by emergency responders. His name has not been officially released.

The two deceased were later identified by journalist Carlos Jiménez as Emilio Quintero, 31, of Culiacán, and Juan Pablo Quintero, 21, of Guadalajara. Their last name immediately raised questions—Quintero isn’t just any name. It’s one of the most historically loaded surnames in Mexico’s drug war.

State officials rushed to deny any family ties.

“There’s no evidence of a blood connection to anyone in the criminal world,” said Horacio Duarte Olivares, Secretary General of Government for the State of Mexico. “It’s just a surname.”

But that’s the kind of blanket denial often issued before a full investigation has even started. Off-record sources have pointed out that Culiacán isn’t a coincidence—and neither is the level of force used. Whether or not the victims were blood relatives of Rafael Caro Quintero, they were clearly known, clearly marked, and clearly hunted.

Duarte later confirmed what the footage makes obvious: this was a targeted hit. “They came looking for those men,” he told reporters.

The State of Mexico’s Fiscalía (FGJEM) is leading the investigation. No arrests have been made.