In an operation led by the Mexican Navy (SEMAR) in the municipality of Cucurpe, Sonora, Francisco Manuel Romero Carranza—known as “El Meny” or “El Menny”—was killed. He had been a high-priority target for state and federal authorities since escaping from the Hermosillo Social Reintegration Center (CERESO) No. 2 on July 11, 2026.
The Sonora State Attorney General’s Office (FGJES) had offered a reward of up to one million pesos for information leading to his capture.
At the time of his death, he was the subject of active arrest warrants for aggravated kidnapping resulting in death, attempted murder, and criminal conspiracy.
During the same security operation in the state’s mountainous region, Navy personnel also apprehended four other members of the same criminal organization.
Among those captured were two individuals identified as key instigators of violence—known by the aliases “El Nolo” and “El Pollo”—for whom the state prosecutor’s office had offered individual rewards of up to 500,000 pesos.
According to investigations by the public prosecutor’s office, both “El Nolo” and “El Pollo” were wanted under judicial warrants for aggravated homicide and criminal conspiracy. They are directly linked to the investigation into the murder of Juan Manuel Quintana Valenzuela—a group leader within the Ministerial Agency for Criminal Investigation (AMIC)—who was killed on June 18 in the municipality of Ímuris.
The arrested individuals, along with evidence seized at the scene of the confrontation, have been turned over to the public prosecutor’s office for further legal proceedings and to determine the formal legal status of the suspects.
