Mexican forces arrest reputed Sinaloa cartel leader Jose Bryan Salgueiro Zepeda at baptism

Mexican federal forces arrested a man suspected of being a Sinaloa drug cartel member from Chihuahua in the middle of a baptism ceremony inside a church.

The dramatic arrest of Jose Bryan Salgueiro Zepeda on Friday evening during a baptismal Mass at a church in Culiacán, Sinaloa, was filmed on a viral video.

Salgueiro, reportedly known as "El 90," is allegedly a leader in the family-run Salgueiro crime organization in Chihuahua affiliated with the Sinaloa cartel, the Chihuahua attorney general's office said.

The video clip shows two couples standing before an altar as a priest speaks off camera during the baptism rite as masked agents quickly walk up from behind.

"Do you renounce Satan? Do you renounce all of his seductions?" the priest asks in Spanish during the rite just before an agent grabs Salgueiro by an arm and pulls him away.

Mexican news media reported that the other man at the ceremony is a nephew of imprisoned Sinaloa cartel kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. The second man was not arrested.

After being detained, Bryan Salgueiro allegedly identified himself as a Sinaloa cartel lieutenant belonging to "Los Salgueiro" organization, the Chihuahua attorney general's office said in a statement.

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Afterward, Salgueiro was flown to Chihuahua City on a Mexican air force plane and taken to a prison.

Salgueiro's arrest on a warrant on an aggravated kidnapping charge was part of a special operation by the Mexican military, the National Antikidnapping Coordination and the Chihuahua attorney general's office.

He is accused of taking part in the kidnapping of one person on May 19, 2020, the attorney general's office stated, describing his arrest as a "priority objective."

The attorney general's office identified him only as Jose Bryan S.Z. in keeping with rules in Mexico regarding the naming of crime suspects by authorities. News reports identified him as Jose Bryan Salgueiro Zepeda. His name also has been spelled as "Brian."

'Los Salgueiro' crime organization

Bryan Salgueiro's uncles reputedly are the founders and leaders of the Gente Nueva, a faction of the Sinaloa cartel in Chihuahua state.

"Los Salgueiro" reputedly oversees opium poppy and marijuana production in the southern part of the state of Chihuahua.

The family-run drug organization allegedly is headed by three brothers:

• Jose Salgueiro Nevarez, age 55, known as "El Che," "El 90" and "Tio" (Uncle).

• Heriberto Salgueiro Nevarez, age 51, aka "El 7," "Beto," "Victor" and "Victor SS."

• Ruperto Salgueiro Nevarez, age 43, alias "Batman," "El 37," "El RT," "Rupe" and "El Dragon."

The brothers are each the target of a $5 million reward by the U.S. government for information leading to their arrest.

The men are brothers of Noel "El Flaco" Salgueiro, who is accused of at one time being the Sinaloa cartel's top man in the Chihuahua region.

Jose, Ruperto and Heriberto Salgueiro Nevarez allegedly took command of the organization following "El Flaco" Salgueiro's capture by Mexican army special forces about 10 years ago in Culiacán.

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The Salgueiro brothers allegedly run what U.S. law enforcement refer to as the Salgueiro-Nevarez Organization, or the SNO.

In December 2019, "El Flaco" Salgueiro was extradited to the U.S. from Mexico. He was held at the El Paso County Jail for a little over a month before he was moved to another location. His case is pending in federal court.

Daniel Borunda may be reached at 915-546-6102; dborunda@elpasotimes.com; @BorundaDaniel on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Reputed Sinaloa cartel leader Jose Bryan Salgueiro arrested at baptism