February 10, 2002(2002-02-10) (aged 37) Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico
Cause of death
Gunshot wound
Height
6 ft 2.5 in (189 cm)
Status
Added
September 18, 1997
Number
451
Deceased prior to capture
Ramón Eduardo Arellano Félix (August 31, 1964 – February 10, 2002)[1] was a Mexican drug lord who alongside his brothers founded and led the Tijuana Cartel (a.k.a. the Arellano-Félix Organization). He was the leader of the enforcement wing of the organization until his assassination on February 10, 2002.[2]
Biography
Standing 189 cm (6 ft 2+1⁄2 in) and 114.7 kg (253 lb), Ramon Arellano Félix was allegedly one of the most ruthless members of the cartel and was a suspect in various murders. Arellano Félix ordered the 1998 massacre of nineteen members of Castro Ramirez family outside of Ensenada, Baja California. The family was related to an alleged associate of the Arellano Félix Cartel.[3] The Ramirez family oversaw the marijuana production and transport to Tecate and Tijuana, and was active before the Arellanos overtook the region. By murdering the whole family, the Arellano Felix Cartel eliminated the last bastion to the Cartel's full control of the area. The massacre broke an unspoken pact amongst druglords: "don't touch the children."
On 1 June 2000, the United States Department of the Treasury sanctioned Ramón under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (sometimes referred to simply as the "Kingpin Act"), for his involvement in drug trafficking, along with eleven other international criminals.[6] The act prohibited U.S. citizens and companies from doing any kind of business activity with him, and virtually froze all his assets in the U.S.[7]
Death and aftermath
On 10 February 2002, Ramón
Arellano Félix was killed in a gunfight in Bugambilia Street, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, where he was stopped due to a traffic infraction by Mexican police officer, Ángel Antonio Árias Torres. Arellano Félix drew his gun and mortally wounded Árias Torres twice in the chest, who fired back and killed Arellano Félix with a single bullet in the head while falling to the ground and dying.[citation needed] According to Jesús Zambada García (alias "El Mayo"), Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán ordered Árias Torres to enact the traffic stop and Arellano Félix's execution.[8]
The only brother of the Arellano Félix cartel then at large, Eduardo Arellano Félix, was captured by the Mexican Army on 26 October 2008. At the time, the US State Department had been offering a reward of up to US$5 million for information leading to his arrest. According to a Mexican official, at the time of Eduardo Arellano Félix's capture, control of the cartel passed to Luis Fernando Sánchez Arellano, a son of Eduardo Arellano Félix's sister Alicia.
At around 16:00 local time on 23 June 2014,[9] Sánchez Arellano was arrested by soldiers of the Mexican Army and federal agents of the Procuraduría General de la República (PGR)[10][11] at a
Carl's Jr. fast food restaurant in the Mesa de Otay borough in Tijuana, Baja California,[12] while watching the FIFA World Cup game between Mexico and Croatia. Sánchez Arellano was wearing the Mexico national team jersey and had the team's colors painted on his face.[13] The arrest was made without a single shot fired.[14] The security forces also confiscated US$100,000 he had with him at the moment of his arrest.[15]
In popular culture
In the 2017 Netflix and Univision series, El Chapo, Rolf Petersen plays Ramón Avendaño (a fictionalized portrayal of Ramón Arellano Félix).
Arellano Félix is portrayed by Manuel Masalva in the 2018 crime drama, Narcos: Mexico.
A 2003 Mexican film, "El fin de los Arellano" ("The End of the Arellanos"), featured characters supposedly based on the Arellano brothers; however, its plot bore practically no resemblance to the actual events.
The Arellano brothers were allegedly an inspiration for the two secondary characters of "the Obregón brothers", featured in the 2000 US film Traffic.
Gallery
Ramón
Fake ID retrieved from Ramón's body
Picture of the Arellano-Felix Family (Ramon not present)