Episode Details

Carlos Enrique Martínez Cuesta, a former Mexican marine known as “El Marino” or “El 5,” allegedly established his own drug trafficking organization after breaking away from the powerful Sinaloa Cartel, according to confidential Mexican military documents exposed in an October 2022 leak. Martínez had previously served as a driver for the commander of Mexico's Sixth Naval Region in Colima before deserting the military and becoming a trusted lieutenant of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, one of the Sinaloa Cartel's founding leaders. However, growing tensions between Zambada's faction and the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, collectively known as Los Chapitos, reportedly convinced Martínez to establish an independent criminal organization called Los Exiliados, or “The Exiled.” The group allegedly operated around Manzanillo, Colima, a strategically important Pacific port that served as a major entry point for chemical precursors imported from China and used in the production of methamphetamine and fentanyl. Mexican authorities identified Martínez as a high-priority criminal target, raising concerns that another armed trafficking organization could emerge from the continuing fragmentation of the Sinaloa Cartel

The allegations emerged from a massive cyberattack against Mexico's Defense Ministry carried out by the hacker collective Guacamaya, which obtained more than four million confidential documents containing sensitive intelligence about organized crime, military operations, and government activities. Among the stolen records was an August 2022 military intelligence report identifying six priority criminal targets, including Martínez, Juan Carlos Valencia, and Julio Alberto Castillo Rodríguez, the latter two having family connections to Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho.” The leaked documents also exposed allegations of corruption within Mexico's armed forces, including a 2019 incident in which a military member reportedly offered to sell 70 hand grenades to a criminal organization for approximately $1,300 each, with eight allegedly purchased and delivered. The revelations highlighted the increasingly complicated relationship between Mexico's military institutions and organized crime, particularly as former service members used their training and connections to establish criminal enterprises. Martínez's reported activities also drew comparisons to Los Zetas, the notoriously violent cartel originally formed by former Mexican special forces personnel. The allegations surrounding Los Exiliados illustrated how internal cartel rivalries, military defections, and corruption contributed to the emergence of new trafficking organizations competing for control of Mexico's lucrative narcotics trade.


to contact me:

bobbycapucci@protonmail.com