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Ernesto Alfredo Piñón de la Cruz, also known as El Neto, (6 April 1989 – 5 January 2023) was a Mexican criminal known for his leadership over Los Mexicles, a street gang based in Ciudad Juárez and allied with the Sinaloa Cartel.

Biography

El Neto was born on 6 April 1989 and started his criminal career before he reached adulthood. In 2009, authorities in the Mexican state of Chihuahua arrested him in connection with 30 kidnappings, including a judge. On 14 December 2010, he was sentenced to 224 years in prison.

In 2020, El Neto replaced Jesús Eduardo "El Lalo" Soto Rodríguez as leader of Los Mexicles. On 1 January 2023, he escaped during the 2023 Ciudad Juárez prison attack alongside approximately 20 others. However, the second highest-ranking member of the gang, César “El Chilín” Vega Muñoz, was killed during the attack.

El Neto was killed in a shootout with police in Ciudad Juárez on 5 January 2023 at the age of 33, four days after his escape from prison.

References

1. "Fugitive gang leader, 'El Neto,' killed in confrontation with law enforcement". Mexican News Daily. 5 January 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
2. Ortiz, Juan (3 January 2023). "Sacan del penal de Ciudad Juárez a 200 integrantes de "Los Mexicles"". La Silla Rota (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 January 2023.
3. García, Samuel (5 January 2023). "PERFIL: 'El Neto', el joven que tuvo en jaque a Ciudad Juárez". El Financiero (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 January 2023.
4. Cano, Luis Carlos (4 October 2009). "Capturan a "El Neto", autor de 30 secuestros". El Universal (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 January 2023.
5. Coria Rivas, Carlos (14 December 2010). "Sentencian a 224 años de prisión a secuestrador en Chihuahua". Excélsior (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 January 2023.
6. "El origen de "Los Mexicles" y "El Neto", y lo que se esconde detrás de ellos". Nortedigital (in Spanish). 3 January 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
7. "Así fue como un comando ingresó al Cereso de Ciudad Juárez y sacó a líder criminal". SinEmbargo (in Spanish). 2 January 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
8. Holguin, Richard (3 January 2023). "Durante motín en Cereso 3 falleció "El Chilín"; era mano derecha de "El Neto"". El Heraldo de Chihuahua (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 January 2023.
9. "Mexique : après l'arrestation du fils d'El Chapo, des scènes de chaos dans la ville de Culiacan". HuffPost (in French). 5 January 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
10. Resendiz, Julian (5 January 2023). "Fugitive 'Mexicles' gang leader killed in shootout with police". Fox2 Now. El Paso. Retrieved 9 January 2023.

• 1989 births
• 2023 deaths
• Mexican crime bosses
• Escapees from Mexican detention
• People from Ciudad Juárez
• People shot dead by law enforcement officers in Mexico