Why does the Sinaloa Cartel want ‘El Flakito’, the operator of the Arellano Félix, dead?

On at least two occasions, Pablo Edwin Huerta Nuño, alias’ El Flakito,’ has been the target of attacks perpetrated in the state of Baja, California, by hitmen linked to the Sinaloa Cartel. Although the Arellano Felix Cartel (CAF) operator has managed to survive, opposing groups still seek his head.

The latest attempt to assassinate ‘El Flakito’ occurred on December 20. On that occasion, a pair of individuals wearing shirts with logos of the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime (FEMDO) entered a pharmacy in the Hipódromo subdivision.

One of them requested to be given an injection due to an unspecified discomfort. While the doctors were attending to the patient, two other individuals broke into the establishment located on Las Ferias Avenue and opened fire against those present.

The previous provoked a shootout that left a woman wounded by a bullet. Later, it was reported that the objective of this attack was Huerta Nuño, according to reports from Zeta Tijuana. At the site of the events, the authorities found a black cap with the initials “F.E.F.” written about the Flakito Special Forces.

Seven months before, on May 20, 2023, there was a massacre registered in the village of San Vicente in Ensenada. Ten people were murdered during a Razer car event known as “Cachanillazo,” in which ‘El Flakito’ was present, whom they were trying to assassinate.

It was reported that the people who gave the order to end Huerta Nuño’s life were brothers Alfonso and René Arzate García, better known as ‘Aquiles’ and ‘La Rana’. Both are members of the Sinaloa Cartel, which operates in Baja, California.

The reason why the Sinaloa Cartel wants ‘El Flakito’ dead, according to Zeta Tijuana, is for his alleged responsibility in the drug theft from other criminal groups.

“In the criminal environment, Flakito’s head has a price. Particularly in the Sinaloa Cartel they want him dead. Huerta Nuño is pointed out by both authorities and criminals, for allegedly being behind several drug cargo robberies and for betraying elements of other mafias,” it reads in a weekly magazine report published on December 25.

“‘El Flakito’ was a part of the Arellano Felix structure since 2010 and nowadays is considered as the leader of one of its cells. Their main function back then was “stealing drugs from opposing mafias”, which earned him fame in Baja California that ended up working against him.”

One of the most recent robberies occurred on November 17 in Tijuana. Local press reports indicate that a shipment of 500 kilos of cocaine was stolen on Altitud 58 Street. Supposedly, the drug belonged to Alfonso Arzate Garcia.

It is assumed that municipal police were involved in these events. However, the participation of “El Flakito” was not verified. The truth is that this series of robberies has triggered a wave of murders in the border state, where the presence of criminal organizations such as the Sinaloa Cartel, the Arellano Félix, and the New Generation Jalisco Cartel (CJNG) has been reported.