Soldiers seized 18 vehicles after a deadly shootout in Ocotlán, Jalisco. Reports that CJNG figure “El 08” escaped in an SUV remain unconfirmed.
Mexican soldiers seized 18 vehicles from a warehouse in Ocotlán, Jalisco, hours after a shootout that left two suspected attackers dead and wounded a soldier and a civilian woman. In a separate search, troops found an abandoned Ford Expedition with Florida plates in nearby Atotonilco el Alto. Federal sources cited in news reports said Adrián Alonso Guerrero Covarrubias, known as “El 08,” may have escaped in the SUV. The Army’s public account did not identify him as an occupant.
The Army said the November 12 confrontation began when soldiers responding to a stolen-vehicle report came under fire. During the pursuit, a vehicle with improvised armor rolled over after a collision. One Honduran man was detained, and authorities reported that the injured soldier and woman were stable. Troops seized a .50-caliber Barrett rifle, a 5.56 mm machine gun, two other long guns and two 40 mm grenades. Ocotlán officials urged residents to stay indoors, and the University of Guadalajara suspended in-person activities at its Atotonilco and La Barca campuses.
Early the next morning, soldiers found the Expedition empty. It had been reported stolen and contained metal tire spikes and insignia associated with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). At the warehouse on Río Santiago Street in Ocotlán’s Riveras de Zula neighborhood, troops found mostly high-end vehicles, along with tactical clothing, boots, insignia and eight rounds of 5.56 mm ammunition. Federal authorities were investigating whether the warehouse was connected to the gunmen. The reporting did not establish who owned the building or the vehicles.
The U.S. Treasury sanctioned Guerrero Covarrubias in 2023, identifying him as a senior CJNG figure involved in moving weapons from the United States into Mexico, fuel theft and drug trafficking. That designation establishes the U.S. government’s assessment of his role; his reported presence in Ocotlán remains unconfirmed.
