Marco Antonio García Simental, alias “El Cris,” was sentenced to 44 years, 10 months, and 15 days in prison for the murder of three agents in April 2000. His role in the criminal world rose to prominence as one of the pioneers in the use of “pozoleo” to disappear victims of the Arellano Félix Cartel (CAF).
The sentence, handed down this Wednesday by the Third District Criminal Court of the State of Mexico, is for his involvement in the murder of three federal agents in the La Rumorosa area of Baja California, a period of peak violence in the territorial dispute over drug trafficking in the north of the country.
The court ruling establishes that Marco Antonio García Simental was found guilty of organized crime—including crimes against public health—and aggravated homicide committed with premeditation, treachery, and advantage.
The victims of the triple murder were three federal agents: Luis Patiño Morales, director general of the Specialized Anti-Drug Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office; Rafael Torres Bernal, first deputy commander of the Federal Judicial Police; and Óscar Pompa Plaza, an agent of the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office
