A formal indictment filed in a New York court has exposed a web of institutional complicity in Sinaloa, directly implicating the former commander of the Culiacán Municipal Police—Juan Valenzuela Millán, alias “Juanito”—as a key figure in the criminal logistics of the “Los Chapitos” faction.
According to the court document, the former police official allegedly not only facilitated drug trafficking operations but also utilized the department’s resources and officers to participate in the abduction, torture, and execution of Alexander Meza León and his family. Meza was a confidential source collaborating with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The events date back to October 2023, when a coordinated operation involving municipal police officers and members of organized crime raided a residence in the Bosques del Rey subdivision in Culiacán.
During this raid, eight people were abducted—including the informant and seven of his relatives, among them a minor just 13 years of age.
U.S. investigations assert that “Juanito” leveraged the public security apparatus to deceive and detain the victims, who were subsequently tortured under the suspicion that Meza León was providing strategic intelligence aimed at dismantling the criminal structure led by the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
The gravity of the incident triggered an unusual response from the National Guard at the time; troops fanned out across various locations in Sinaloa, using loudspeakers to broadcast direct threats against the captors and demanding the release of the six initial hostages. The message was unequivocal: “Return the six hostages, or this place will be flooded with soldiers.”
