Personnel from the National Guard’s Special Reaction and Intervention Force and the Mexican Army, in coordination with the Special Operations Group (GOES) of the Sinaloa Secretariat of Public Security, arrested four men in Culiacán. Among them was Joel Isaías Gaspar Magañas—also known as Orlando Castañeda Torres—alias “Coco Ranas,” the leader of the criminal cell “Los Ranas,” which is affiliated with the “Los Chapitos” faction of the Sinaloa Cartel.
Authorities seized rifles, grenades, ballistic vests, and a dose of suspected fentanyl from the detainees.
The Sinaloa Secretariat of Public Security was the first to confirm the arrest, reporting that it followed an anonymous tip—received via the 089 emergency line—regarding the presence of armed civilians at a residence in the Lomas del Sol neighborhood. According to this account, the individuals attempted to flee in a vehicle upon the arrival of security forces but were intercepted by the responding officers.
Hours later, the Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA) issued its own statement, providing a different account of how the operation originated. The federal agency specified that the arrest was the result of work carried out by central military intelligence.
The National Registry of Detentions lists the location of the arrest as Profesora Emilia Obeso Street.
According to the National Registry of Detentions—consulted on October 22 by Infobae México— “Coco Ranas” is described as a man with a robust build and a dark complexion, who was wearing black clothing.
The official record indicates that the arrest took place at 10:50 p.m. on Wednesday, October 21, in the Lomas del Sol neighborhood, on Profesora Emilia Obeso Street. According to the RND, the authority that carried out the arrest was the State Police’s Special Operations Group, which is composed in part of former members of the armed forces.
