Manuel Torres Félix
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Manuel Fidel Torres Félix (; 28 February 1958 – 13 October 2012), also known as El M1 and/or El Ondeado, was a suspected Mexican drug lord and high-ranking leader of a cell within the
Sinaloa Cartel The Sinaloa Cartel ( es, link=no, Cártel de Sinaloa), also known as the CDS, the Guzmán-Loera Organization, the Pacific Cartel, the Federation and the Blood Alliance, is a large, international organized crime syndicate that specializes in il ...
. Born in a small town in the state of Sinaloa, Torres Félix began working for the Sinaloa Cartel in the 1990s and later ascended to the apex of the cartel after his brother
Javier Torres Félix Javier Torres Félix (born 19 October 1960) is an imprisoned Mexican drug lord and former high-ranking leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, a drug trafficking organization. He is the brother of the deceased drug lord Manuel Torres Félix and the former ...
was arrested in 2004. He then began to work with
Ovidio Guzmán López Ovidio Guzmán López (born 29 March 1990), commonly known as "El Ratón" or "El Nuevo Ratón" ("The Mouse" or "The New Mouse"), is a Mexican drug lord and high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel, a criminal group based in Sinaloa. He is the s ...
, the son of
Joaquín Guzmán Loera Joaquín or Joaquin is a male given name, the Spanish version of Joachim. Given name * Joaquín (footballer, born 1956), Spanish football midfielder * Joaquín (footballer, born 1981), Spanish football winger * Joaquín (footballer, born 1982) ...
, Mexico's former most-wanted man, and oversaw drug trafficking shipments coming in from South America into Mexico under the tutelage of
Ismael Zambada García Ismael may refer to: People * Ismael Balkhi, a political activist from Afghanistan * Ismael Blanco (born 1983), an Argentine professional footballer * Ismael Prego "Wismichu", a Spanish youtuber * Ismael Villegas, a Puerto Rican Major League ...
. When his son was killed by rival gang members of the Beltrán-Leyva Cartel in 2008, Torres Félix reportedly lost his mind and went on a killing spree, torturing the perpetrators at his home in Culiacán. This earned him the nickname of "El Ondeado" ('The Crazy One') for his emotional instability and explosive personality. Torres Félix was gunned down and killed in a clash with the
Mexican Army The Mexican Army ( es, Ejército Mexicano) is the combined land and air branch and is the largest part of the Mexican Armed Forces; it is also known as the National Defense Army. The Army is under the authority of the Secretariat of National ...
on 13 October 2012.


Criminal career

José Manuel Torres Félix was born on 28 February 1958 in the town of Llanos del Refugio in Cosalá, Sinaloa. He had worked for the Sinaloa Cartel since 1990, but ascended to a high-ranking position after the capture of his brother Javier Torres Félix in 2004. Along with Ovidio Guzmán López, the son of
Joaquín Guzmán Loera Joaquín or Joaquin is a male given name, the Spanish version of Joachim. Given name * Joaquín (footballer, born 1956), Spanish football midfielder * Joaquín (footballer, born 1981), Spanish football winger * Joaquín (footballer, born 1982) ...
, Torres Félix oversaw drug shipments coming in from South America into the Mexican states of Chiapas and Oaxaca. In September 2008 under the Operation Sinaloa, the Mexican military located a safe house owned by Torres Félix, where they confiscated several firearms, narcotics, radio communications equipment, and an armored vehicle. The
Mexican military The Mexican Armed Forces ( es, Fuerzas Armadas de México) are the military forces of the Mexico, United Mexican States. The Spanish crown established a standing military in New Spain, colonial Mexico in the eighteenth century. After Mexican ind ...
also found a photo of Torres Félix accompanied by Misael Torres Urrea, nicknamed ''El M2'', his nephew and son of Javier Torres Félix. Torres Félix was placed on the most-wanted drug traffickers list under the
Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act The Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, better known as the Kingpin Act, is landmark federal legislation in the United States intended to address international narcotics trafficking by imposing United States sanctions on foreign persons ...
by the U.S. government on 1 June 2011, along with Gonzalo Inzunza Inzunza (a.k.a. ''El Macho Prieto''), another high-ranking lieutenant of the Sinaloa cartel. The PGR offers up to $3 million
Mexican pesos The Mexican peso ( symbol: $; code: MXN) is the currency of Mexico. Modern peso and dollar currencies have a common origin in the 16th–19th century Spanish dollar, most continuing to use its sign, "$". The current ISO 4217 code for the ...
for information leading to their arrests. Manuel reportedly lived in the hills and valleys of Sinaloa, rarely frequenting urban areas. He would often go two or three days without sleep, always in alert.


Death of his son

According to the
United States Department of the Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and ...
, Torres Félix got public attention on 18 April 2008 when rival members of the Beltrán-Leyva Cartel assassinated his son Atanasio Torres Acosta in an ambush attack, injuring his daughter Alondra (aged 4) and sister-in-law Sandra Rivas Heredia (aged 24). At the crime scene, the gunmen left a written message on the behalf of Arturo Beltrán Leyva: With the death of his son, Torres Félix reportedly "went crazy" and took revenge of the perpetrators by torturing them in his home. According to police reports, the death of Anastasio marked the beginning of the cartel war in the state of Sinaloa. Torres Félix became one of the most dangerous drug traffickers in Sinaloa; hundreds of deaths were attributed to the commandos led by Torres Félix, who earned the pseudonym of "El Ondeado" ('The Crazy One') for his emotional instability that started after the death of Atanasio.


Death

Torres Félix was killed in a gunbattle in the community of Oso Viejo in
Culiacán Culiacán, officially Culiacán Rosales, is a city in northwestern Mexico, the capital and largest city of both the Culiacán Municipality and the state of Sinaloa. The city was founded on 29 September 1531, by the Spanish conquerors Lázar ...
, Sinaloa early in the morning on 13 October 2012. His body was sent to the forensic center and was guarded by the military in order to prevent his henchmen from snatching the body. After the shootout, the military confiscated several stashes of weapons, ammunition, and other materials. Prior to his death, Torres Félix was a key figure and major drug trafficker for
Ismael Zambada García Ismael may refer to: People * Ismael Balkhi, a political activist from Afghanistan * Ismael Blanco (born 1983), an Argentine professional footballer * Ismael Prego "Wismichu", a Spanish youtuber * Ismael Villegas, a Puerto Rican Major League ...
and
Joaquín Guzmán Loera Joaquín or Joaquin is a male given name, the Spanish version of Joachim. Given name * Joaquín (footballer, born 1956), Spanish football midfielder * Joaquín (footballer, born 1981), Spanish football winger * Joaquín (footballer, born 1982) ...
, Mexico's most wanted man.


Funeral

After his death, Torres Félix's corpse was sent to the San Martín funeral house in Culiacán, where family members and friends visited to pay their respects. Outside the parlor, the Mexican Army guarded the area and established checkpoints in the nearby streets. Torres Félix was then buried in
Jardines Del Humaya Jardines del Humaya is a cemetery outside the city of Culiacán, in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, established in 1969. The cemetery has gained notoriety for its mausoleums built for deceased cartel members that are unique and lavish in their styl ...
, a cemetery outside the city of Culiacán where the remains of his son Anastasio lie too.


Aftermath

The
Mexican Armed Forces The Mexican Armed Forces ( es, Fuerzas Armadas de México) are the military forces of the United Mexican States. The Spanish crown established a standing military in colonial Mexico in the eighteenth century. After Mexican independence in 1821, ...
increased their presence in the state of Sinaloa to prevent any violent reprisals from organized crime for Torres Félix's death. A Facebook page was set up just hours after his death, which include personal photos. As of November 2012 the page has nearly 40,000 fans. On the morning of 16 October 2012, three days after the death of Torres Félix, at least three "narcomantas" ('narcobanners') appeared throughout the city of Culiacán denouncing
Ismael Zambada García Ismael may refer to: People * Ismael Balkhi, a political activist from Afghanistan * Ismael Blanco (born 1983), an Argentine professional footballer * Ismael Prego "Wismichu", a Spanish youtuber * Ismael Villegas, a Puerto Rican Major League ...
of betraying and setting up Torres Félix to be killed by the Mexican Army.


Analysis of repercussions

According to the
Mexican Army The Mexican Army ( es, Ejército Mexicano) is the combined land and air branch and is the largest part of the Mexican Armed Forces; it is also known as the National Defense Army. The Army is under the authority of the Secretariat of National ...
, the death of Torres Félix dealt a huge blow against the internal structure of the
Sinaloa Cartel The Sinaloa Cartel ( es, link=no, Cártel de Sinaloa), also known as the CDS, the Guzmán-Loera Organization, the Pacific Cartel, the Federation and the Blood Alliance, is a large, international organized crime syndicate that specializes in il ...
because he was the right-hand man of Zambada García and a major administrative figure in the organization.
InSight Crime InSight Crime is a non-profit journalism and investigative organization specialized in organized crime in Latin America and the Caribbean. The organization has offices in Washington, D.C., and Medellín, Colombia. InSight Crime has received funds ...
, on the other hand, believes that it is unclear exactly how much impact Torres Félix's absence will have on the cartel. Given the organization's immense size and influence, the agency alleges that Torres Félix will not affect the overall drug trafficking logistics of the Sinaloa Cartel. His death, however, can serve as a reminder that the Mexican government is willing to take down top leaders in the Sinaloa Cartel in their home turf. If what the authorities say is true about Torres Félix's importance, Zambada García is probably uneasy by the news. At the same time, however, InSight Crime points out that Zambada García may have purposely set up Torres Félix to get killed.


Family

Manuel is brother of Javier Torres Félix (a.k.a. ''El JT''), a close associate and leader of a group of hitmen headed by Ismael Zambada, a drug lord of the Sinaloa cartel; Javier was arrested in 2004 and extradited to the United States in December 2006. The son of Javier is Misael Torres Urrea, ''M-2''. Raúl Meza Ontiveros, ''El M-6'', was the brother-in-law of Manuel; he was killed by gunfire in March 2007. His sons were César Raúl Meza Torres ''El Mini-6'', and Arturo Meza Torres, and his brother was Faustino Meza Ontiveros, killed on 8 January 2009. On 18 April 2008, Atanacio Torres Acosta, the 20-year-old son of Manuel, was shot dead in
Culiacán Culiacán, officially Culiacán Rosales, is a city in northwestern Mexico, the capital and largest city of both the Culiacán Municipality and the state of Sinaloa. The city was founded on 29 September 1531, by the Spanish conquerors Lázar ...
, Sinaloa. His daughter Alondra (aged 4) was injured in the attack and subsequently lost her forearm. The next day, Manuel responded by killing two gunmen allegedly responsible for killing his son. Joel Torres Jiménez, the son of Javier and nephew of Manuel, was shot in Culiacán with three other people on 28 February 2010. Joel Torres is still alive today though being attacked 3 occasions and surviving. His nephew, and son of Raúl Meza Ontiveros, was Raúl Meza Torres, ''El Mini 6'', who was killed in
Zapopan, Jalisco Zapopan () is a city and municipality located in the Mexican state of Jalisco. Part of the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area, the population of Zapopan city proper makes it the second largest city in the state, very close behind the population of G ...
, on 25 April 2010 after a shootout with the police. Arturo Salazar Aispuro, alias ''El Tury'' and a nephew of Manuel, was killed with four other gunmen on 24 January 2011 in
Mexicali Mexicali (; ) is the capital city of the Mexican state of Baja California. The city, seat of the Mexicali Municipality, has a population of 689,775, according to the 2010 census, while the Calexico–Mexicali metropolitan area is home to 1,000,0 ...
. The son-in-law of Manuel, Onorio Félix Gutiérrez, was ambushed and killed by a group of gunmen in Culiacán on 18 March 2011. He was married to Yazira Torres, the daughter of Manuel, and the couple had a son. His nephew Francisco Torres, alias ''El 50'', was killed in a gunfight with the Mexican Army in Culiacán on 3 July 2013. Francisco was a main operator of the Sinaloa Cartel in that city, responsible for carrying out several violent acts and overseeing the retail drug sales.


Narcocorridos

A
narcocorrido A narcocorrido (, "narco-corrido" or ''drug ballad'') is a subgenre of the Regional Mexican corrido (narrative ballad) genre, from which several other genres have evolved. This type of music is heard and produced on both sides of the Mexico†...
, of the Movimiento Alterado subgenere, sung by the musical groups El Komander, Los Buitres de Culiacan, Los Buchones de Culiacan, Rogelio Martinez el RM, Los Nuevos Elegantes, Noel Torres, Erik Estrada, Oscar Garcia, and Los 2 Primos and titled ("The Bloodthirsties of M1") exalts Torres Félix for leaving decapitated and mutilated bodies in the trunk of cars as a message to his rivals. The lyrics of the song dedicated to Torres Félix start with the following: The album sold 100,000 copies and had over 12 million hits on
YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
by March 2012. Reportedly, the daughter of Torres Félix sent a
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...
message to one of the band members thanking him on the behalf of the drug lord, "saying anuel Torres Félixliked he song"


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Torres Felix, Manuel People of the Mexican Drug War Sinaloa Cartel traffickers 1958 births 2012 deaths People from Cosalá Municipality People from Sinaloa Deaths by firearm in Mexico People sanctioned under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act