Sinaloa Cartel Leader 'El Bob Esponja' Shot to Death After Gunmen Chase Ends With Crash in Mexico's Sonora State

A high-ranking leader of the Sinaloa Cartel known as "El Bob Esponja" was reportedly shot to death in Mexico's state of Sonora last week.

According to Borderland Beat, the white Volkswagen Vento sedan of Armando Russell Garcia, alias "El Bob Esponja," was being chased by an SUV through the streets of the Ejido Cuauhtémoc neighborhood in Obregon city in the municipality of Cajeme at around 7:30 pm on May 25.

When the two vehicles sped down along Quintana Roo street, the sedan reportedly crashed with another car, making the SUV catch up with the sedan.

The armed men inside the SUV had then started to open fire on those inside the sedan. El Bob Esponja and three other men, who were inside the sedan, tried to return fire.

However, El Bob Esponja and the three other men sustained multiple gunshot injuries. The gunmen inside the SUV immediately sped away from the scene after shooting the four men numerous times.

In a Facebook post, the Sonora Informativo confirmed the death of El Bob Esponja, or "The Spongebob," who was the Sinaloa Cartel plaza boss of Escuinapa in Sinaloa.

The other two deceased men were Rafael B. R., a resident of Cajeme, Sonora, and Josue Alonso C. R. or Juan Carlos Camacho Russell, a resident of Navolato, Sinaloa. The fourth man, Juan Carlos S. B., was brought to a hospital and was reportedly in stable condition.

Before becoming an operator of the Sinaloa Cartel, El Bob Esponja was a former soldier in the 39th Military Zone in Chiapas. He joined the Army in August 1995, and his contract ended in March 2001.

He then joined the municipal police in Culiacan and worked as an officer from January 2005 to August 2007. El Bob Esponja reportedly became a member of the Sinaloa Cartel during his time as a police officer and rose through the cartel ranks while continuing his job in law enforcement.

He was identified as the head of Plaza Escuinapa in southern Sinaloa, controlling the operations of the Sinaloa cartel in that municipality, as well as El Rosario and some areas of Mazatlán, in 2007.

The Navy arrested the Sinaloa Cartel official in February 2015. However, it was unknown when and why he was released.

The Sinaloa Cartel and Los Salazar in Mexico's Sonora State

The Los Salazar has been leading the drug trafficking operations in Mexico's Sonora state since the 1990s. According to Borderland Beat, the criminal group originated from Chinipas, Chihuahua. Mexican and U.S. authorities recognize the Los Salazar as the leading operator of the Sinaloa Cartel in Sonora.

The group operates in the strip of borders of Sonora and Chihuahua states, and the international border of Sonora with the U.S. Its best-known home bases of operations are in Navojoa, Sonora, and Chinipas, Chihuahua.

Don Adan Salazar Zamorano was the founder and leader of Los Salazar. After the escape of Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera in 2001, Don Adan had an alliance with the Beltran Leyva brothers who were El Chapo's associates.

They played a significant role in the restructure generated by the war after the split of the Sinaloa Cartel with the Beltran Leyva brothers. The Los Salazar took El Chapo's side.

The Los Salazar has aligned themselves as the armed wing of the Sinaloa Cartel and became part of the group Gente Nueva founded in Chihuahua by El Chapo's lieutenant named El Flaco Salgueiro.

The Los Salazar is still operating in Sonora in alliance with the Sinaloa Cartel led by El Chapo's four sons, known as "Los Chapitos." The battles for the plazas in the name of Los Chapitos make the Los Salazar a fearsome and powerful group in Sonora.

The Sinaloa Cartel

Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada and El Chapo were among the people who established the Sinaloa Cartel from the remnants of the Guadalajara Cartel after its leader Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo was arrested in 1989.

The U.S. State Department has increased its offer from $5 million to $15 million for information that will result in the arrest of El Mayo.

On the other hand, El Chapo was sentenced to spend the rest of his days in the ADX Florence, the most secure federal prison in the U.S. He is serving a life sentence in prison after being found guilty in 2019 of all 10 federal charges he faced.

The Sinaloa Cartel is one of Mexico's largest and most powerful drug trafficking organizations. The Mexican drug cartel has been known to carry out assassinations, murders, and torture to protect its turf.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Joshua Summers

WATCH: Top 10 Craziest Things El Chapo Has Done - From WatchMojo.com