12/07/10 – On Monday night around 20:00 hours Jesús Ernesto Piñón de la Cruz, the leader of a gang of kidnappers in Ciudad Juárez known as “Los Netos”, died in a confrontation between authorities and an armed commando that attempted to rescue him. According to various online news sources, Ernesto Piñón was being transferred from a municipal prison to a medium security state prison, along with two other members of his gang, when an armed commando intercepted the convoy in which they traveled.
The commando threw grenades and fired high caliber guns at the government vehicle and managed to rescue the three individuals momentarily before federal and municipal agents responded. In the confrontation that ensued, Piñón de la Cruz was shot in the left eye and recovered by authorities, but later died in the hospital. César Vega Muñoz, “El Chalín,” one of the detainees managed to escape, as did the armed commando.
Piñón de la Cruz, who was between 20 and 22-years-old, had been accused of at least 13 counts of kidnapping, as well as continuing to head a gang of kidnappers from the minimum security municipal prison after his detention, and had been sentenced to more than 140 years in prison.
Sources:
El Economista. “Criminales intentan rescatar a secuestradores.” El Economista. 07 Diciembre, 2010.
El Diario. “Frustra Policía fuga de ‘El Neto’; está malherido.” El Diario. 07 Diciembre, 2010.
El Mexicano. “Hieren a El Neto en intento por liberarlo.” El Mexicano. 07 Diciembre, 2010.
