Jorge Humberto Figueroa Benítez, identified by the United States government as a key member of the “Los Chapitos” criminal organization, died during an operation aimed at capturing him in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, the country’s Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection Omar García Harfuch said Saturday. The operation against Figueroa Benitez, known by the nickname “El Perris,” took place in Navolato, 32 kilometers (19 miles) from Culiacán, the state’s capital, according to local media. The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was offering up to $1 million for Figueroa Benitez, who was wanted for alleged federal crimes, including conspiracy to import and traffic fentanyl, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and money laundering conspiracy.

A chief of a notorious Mexican drug cartel who had a bonus in the head in the United States died during a confrontation with army troops, authorities announced on Saturday. The state of Sinaloa, where the powerful cartel of the same name is based, underwent a war between two rival factions which have left around 1,200 dead since September. Jorge Humberto Figueroa – who followed the nickname “El Perris” – was shot on Friday during a raid made to arrest him, wrote the secretary of public security, Omar Garcia Harfuch, on social networks. The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) had proposed up to $ 1 million for information leading to its arrest suspected of fentanyl traffic and money laundering.

The United States had placed a $1 million reward for any information that would lead to the arrest of “El Perris” on charges of conspiracy to import and distribute fentanyl to the United States. “As part of the strategy to build peace in Sinaloa, an operation was carried out to arrest Jorge Humberto, alias “El Perris,” Mexico’s secretary of state Omar Garcia Harfuch wrote on X. “This person is identified as one of the main orchestrators of the attacks on authorities in 2019 in Culiacan, in addition to being related to homicides and kidnappings that affected the peace and tranquility of Sinaloa society,” Harfuch concluded. In that fiery 2019 battle, “El Chapitos” took on the Mexican army and national guard following the arrest of Ovidio Guzman Lopez — with the now dead “El Perris” orchestrating the cartel thugs in firefights across Culiacán. The criminal cartel forces, armed with military grade weapons, outnumbered and out-gunned the Mexican authorities in that guerilla battle, according to reports. Ovidio Guzman Lopez was later controversially released by Mexican authorities who claimed they wanted to avoid further bloodshed.