Published on: November 19, 2025, 01:01h.
Updated on: November 19, 2025, 01:07h.
- Shooting at racetrack in Parral linked to cartel rivalry
- Deceased associated with prior family massacre connected to horse racing interests
- Horse racing venues suspected as money laundering operations for cartels
In response to a tragic shooting during a horse racing event in Parral, Chihuahua state, Mexican officials have deployed military and National Guard units. Gunmen opened fire on Saturday, resulting in at least seven fatalities and injuring approximately a dozen attendees.
The violent incident at Hipódromo Santa Teresa was reportedly triggered by a confrontation between competing criminal factions, as stated by officials from the Chihuahua Public Safety Director’s Office. While specific groups have not been disclosed, local reports indicate that the assault was perpetrated by La Línea, the principal armed branch of the Juárez Cartel.
This faction is currently embroiled in conflict with a Sinaloa cartel faction known as “Los Salgueiro,” whose members account for the majority of the victims.
Reports suggest that La Línea members arrived at the event and unleashed a barrage of gunfire using AK-47s and 9 mm and .40-caliber handguns, leading to a chaotic shootout, although detailed confirmation from authorities is still pending as the investigation unfolds.
Murder of Singer and His Family
Among the casualties is a man called “El Borrego” (“The Lamb”), who had been wanted by police for his role in the assassination of a local singer and his family.
Kevin Amalio Hernández, the lead vocalist of the well-known Parral-based group “H Norteña,” along with his wife Marisela Barrón Sandoval, their three children, and Barrón Sandoval’s mother, Micaela Sandoval, were ambushed by gunmen on May 5, 2024.
At the scene, Hernández and Barrón Sandoval were fatally shot, while two of their children, aged 17 and 14, sustained injuries and later succumbed in the hospital. Sandoval and their four-year-old child were injured but survived.
Authorities believe these killings were aimed and not linked to Hernández’s music career but rather to the family’s involvement in the horse racing sector. Barrón Sandoval owned a nearby racing facility known as Centro Hípico Maturana. In August 2023, alleged Sinaloa Cartel member José Domingo Carrera Bermúdez was reported missing from the same track, with his remains discovered months later in Ciudad Juárez.
This connection raises suspicions that the Sinaloa Cartel may be exploring opportunities in the horse racing industry as a cover for money laundering activities.
Acts of Retaliation
Since the late 2000s, a brutal territorial conflict for control of drug trafficking routes and distribution networks has persisted between the Sinaloa Cartel and the Juárez Cartel, resulting in significant casualties.
In a swift act of retribution for the racetrack shootings, the Los Salgueiro faction wasted no time. Despite military presence, a dismembered body was displayed at La Puerta del Tiempo, an archway within a plaza at Parral’s entrance on Sunday.
A note affixed to the body explicitly indicated that this was a calculated act of vengeance.