The assassination of Óscar Noé Medina González, alias “El Panu,” in Mexico City’s Zona Rosa, left the position of head of security for Los Chapitos vacant. However, among those who could assume this role is one of the former boss’s closest associates: Óscar Gabriel Martínez Larios, known as “El Gabito” or “El 80.”
The assassination of El Panu on December 21, 2025, represented an unprecedented blow to the protection structure of the faction led by Iván Archivaldo and Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar.
Now, El Gabito’s figure is emerging as a possible replacement in the armed defense of the Guzmán brothers, in a context of maximum pressure from authorities and disputes with La Mayiza and its armed wings.
Óscar Gabriel Martínez Larios, alias El Gabito, is identified by authorities and journalistic reports as one of The top hitmen for Los Chapitos, with influence in southern Sinaloa.
Their criminal career has been documented in several narcocorridos by Luis R. Conríquez and Gerardo Ortiz, where they are described as armed men commanding dozens of gunmen and possessing access to high-powered weaponry.
