From ‘El Z-40’ to ‘El Menchito’: The criminals who have passed through Cefereso 11, the prison where Chávez Jr. is held.

The maximum-security prison where Julio César Chávez (JR) Carrazco is held, located in Hermosillo, Sonora, has housed leaders of organized crime groups, as well as alleged exotic animal traffickers and founders of the first self-defense groups.

For more than a decade, and according to reports, Cefereso 11 has seen the passing of figures such as Miguel Ángel Treviño Morales, known as El Z-40, a former member of Los Zetas, a criminal organization that operated primarily in the northeast of the country and instilled terror in the population with its aggressive incursions into the territories.

Rubén Oseguera González, known as El Menchito, son of the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), a criminal group classified as a terrorist organization in the United States along with other cartels, has also been held in this facility. Furthermore, it maintains a presence in several states in Mexico.

Another alleged criminal who has served time in the 11th prison in Sonora’s capital is Jorge Ortiz Reyes, known as El Tanque, founder of La Unión de Tepito, who was transferred to several prisons as part of strategic moves to prevent the escalation of violence in the prison systems.

A well-known inmate who also served time in this prison was José Luis Mireles, former founder of the Michoacán self-defense groups, whose popularity grew after confronting drug trafficking groups operating in his state.

He was confined in Sonora and died from Covid-19 in 2020, after more than 10 days in a hospital.