José de Jesús Méndez Vargas
Mexican drug lord / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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José de Jesús Méndez Vargas (born 28 February 1974), commonly referred to by his alias El Chango ("The Ape"), is a Mexican drug lord and former leader of the now disbanded La Familia drug cartel, headquartered in the state of Michoacán.[3][4][5]
José de Jesús Méndez Vargas | |
---|---|
Born | (1961-02-28) February 28, 1961 (age 63)[1] El Aguaje, Michoacán, Mexico |
Other names | El Chango[2] |
Occupation | Leader of La Familia Michoacana |
Criminal status | Arrested $2.1 million USD bounty |
Criminal charge | Drug trafficking, extortion, kidnapping, murder |
Méndez took control of the cartel after its former leader, Nazario Moreno, was allegedly killed in a shootout with Mexican Federal Police on December 9, 2010.[6] His protection was the responsibility of twelve gunmen he called the "Twelve Apostles".[7] His leadership, however, was disputed by Servando Gómez Martínez and Enrique Plancarte Solís who left the organization and formed the Knights Templar.