Who Are "Los Cromos"—The CJNG's Criminal Arm In The Isthmus of Oaxaca—And How Do They Operate?

“Sol Prendido” for Borderland Beat 

In Oaxaca, the Isthmus zone is under siege by “Los Cromos,” a criminal arm of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Who are they? How do they operate? Los Cromos—the criminal gang spearheading the Jalisco New Generation Cartel’s operations in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec region of Oaxaca—hold not only territorial control over the area but political control as well. 

Emilio Montero Pérez—former Director General of the State Institute of Public Education of Oaxaca and former mayor of Juchitán de Zaragoza—is believed to be the faction’s principal leader, although no official investigation into the matter has been made public. Alongside him is Rafael de Jesús Álvarez Palma (alias “Fallo” or “Commander Renco”), who is currently under investigation by authorities. 

The second tier of command includes the former mayor of Juchitán de Zaragoza, Miguel Sánchez Altamirano (alias “Quetu”), who was arrested on September 23. At this same level is Iván Sánchez Santiago (alias “Cromo”), who is currently a fugitive. The latter is identified as a direct cartel “Plaza” boss, as is the former municipal secretary of Juchitán, Mariano Rosado López—”Quetu’s” alternate—who is also a fugitive. 

At a third operational level are Carlos Alberto (alias “La Parka”), arrested alongside Sánchez Altamirano, and the former public security commissioner for the Juchitán municipality, John Keny Moreno Segura, who was arrested on September 24. Just days earlier—on September 21, prior to his arrest—Miguel Sánchez Altamirano (alias “Quetu”) was seen in public with Emilio Montero. 

According to David Saucedo, a specialist in security and organized crime, Montero—the alleged leader of Los Cromos—entered politics to promote local elections in exchange for protection. What they did was steer government decisions to benefit the interests of their respective criminal groups. They maintained control over municipalities by handing the reins to criminal leaders who were also aligned with their own criminal agenda. 

Essentially, what we have is a system of criminal governance. When crime infiltrates political structures to this extent, it is impossible for a governor not to be aware of it and involved in the scheme, even if they publicly claim to be fighting these groups. Unfortunately, many governors in the southeast—including Governor Salomón Jara—prefer to strike deals with criminal mafias rather than fight them, because these mafias play a role in electoral processes. 

We are not just talking about drug trafficking gangs or human traffickers; these are groups that enjoy a base of social support. “Los Cromos” have been operating in the Isthmus region for four years. They concentrate their illicit activities in Oaxacan municipalities such as Juchitán de Zaragoza, Salina Cruz, Tehuantepec, Ciudad Ixtepec, El Espinal, and Unión Hidalgo. 

They are the primary drivers of violence in the region, linked to crimes such as extortion, the levying of “protection fees” on construction companies working on the Interoceanic Corridor, migrant smuggling, retail drug dealing, and homicide. The State Attorney General’s Office reported that approximately 70% of the nearly 1,000 intentional homicides recorded in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec over the last four years are linked to “Los Cromos.”

Source: Imagen Noticias