Alleged Los Rusos member arrested in Mexicali
Authorities in Mexicali said they arrested Victor Alfonso Martinez Barraza, known as El Ciego, whom they identify as an alleged Los Rusos member linked to the Sinaloa Cartel. Officials cited an active aggravated-homicide warrant and alleged links to homicides, extortion, drug distribution, contract killings and threats against security personnel.
Authorities in Mexicali, Baja California, arrested Víctor Alfonso Martínez Barraza, known as “El Ciego,” whom officials identify as an alleged member of Los Rusos, an armed group linked to the Sinaloa Cartel.
According to Omar García Harfuch, Mexico's secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, the detainee had an active arrest warrant for aggravated homicide and was allegedly linked through investigations to homicides, extortion, drug distribution, contract killings and threats against security personnel. Infobae México reported that officials described him as a violence-generating figure in the region.
The arrest followed intelligence work by the National Intelligence Center and involved the Defense Secretariat, Navy, Security and Citizen Protection Secretariat, National Guard and local authorities. Officials said they encountered the 26-year-old during a patrol near Nicolás Bravo and Álvaro Obregón avenues, confirmed his identity through Baja California's C5 database and verified the active judicial warrant.
The source also reported that Martínez Barraza was arrested in July 2025 with four other people, but it did not provide the missing details after stating that officers found items during that earlier inspection. The current allegations remain attributed to authorities; he was placed at the disposal of the competent institution, which will determine his legal status.