Héctor Luis Palma Salazar
Encyclopedia
Héctor Luis Palma Salazar (a.k.a.: "El Güero Palma") was a Mexican
drug trafficker
and former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel
alongside Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán
.
eventually working as a gunman for Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo
under the umbrella of the Guadalajara Cartel
. Palma rose the ranks, and along with Eduardo "El Lobito" Retamoza and Gallardo, were leaders of the cartel. Following the loss of a large cocaine
shipment, which was blamed on Retamoza and Palma, El Lobito was killed and Palma was spared. Following Retamoza's death, Palma contacted and created an alliance with Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzman of the rival Sinaloa Cartel.
Palma splintered from the group which was handed down to Gallardo's nephews in Tijuana
, who later formed the Tijuana Cartel
(Arellano Félix Organization). Palma, along with a Venezuela
n trafficker named Rafael Enrique Clavel, one time boyfriend of his sister Minerva Palma, began operating their own cartel. In 1978 Palma was arrested in Arizona
on drug trafficking and sentenced to 8 years in a U.S. prison. Upon his release, Palma discovered his wife, Guadalupe Leija Serrano, had run off with Clavel and taken their two kids. Clavel forced Guadalupe to withdraw 7 million from a bank account and later decapitated her, shipping her head back to Palma. The two children, Jesús and Nataly, were taken to Venezuela
and dropped off of a bridge named Puente de la Concordia right in the border with Colombia
. Clavel soon after went to work for Gallardo in the Tijuana Cartel. In retaliation, Palma executed Gallardo's lawyer and Clavel's three children.
Palma returned to trafficking within the Sinaloa Cartel, sharing leadership with Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzman.
In 1995 Palma was arrested after a 12 seat Lear jet
he was flying on to attend a wedding party crashed. Palma was traveling from Ciudad Obregón
, Sonora
to Guadalajara, Jalisco
for a wedding ceremony when the plane was diverted and unable to locate a new landing strip in time. Palma survived the crash and was later arrested by Mexican military officers, originally evading capture by traveling in full uniform as a Federal Judicial Police officer complete with identification and armed caravan of FJP personnel.
In addition to the corruption present within the police force, it has been documented to have spread to the judicial system. Due to bribery of judges the Sinaloa Cartel have evaded prosecution repeatedly. In 2004, 18 men were arrested in possession of 28 machine guns, 2 hand guns
, 223 cartridges, 10k bullets, 12 grenade launchers, 18 hand grenades, smoke grenades and bulletproof vests. The men were set free by Judge Jose Luis Gomez Martinez who stated there was no evidence they were part of any criminal organization.
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
drug trafficker
Illegal drug trade
The illegal drug trade is a global black market, dedicated to cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of those substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs by drug prohibition laws.A UN report said the...
and former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel
Sinaloa Cartel
The Sinaloa Cartel is the most powerful drug cartel in Mexico and considered by the United States Intelligence Community as "the most powerful drug trafficking organization in the world." The Sinaloa Cartel is based in the city of Culiacán, Sinaloa, but also operates in the Mexican states of Baja...
alongside Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán
Joaquín Guzmán
Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera nicknamed "El Chapo" for his stature, is a Mexican drug lord who heads Mexico's and the world's largest and most powerful drug trafficking organization referred to as the Sinaloa Cartel, named after the Mexican Pacific coast state of Sinaloa where it was initially...
.
Biography
Palma began his life of crime as a car thiefCarjacking
Carjacking is a form of hijacking, where the crime is of stealing a motor vehicle and so also armed assault when the vehicle is occupied. Historically, such as in the rash of semi-trailer truck hijackings during the 1960s, the general term hijacking was used for that type of vehicle abduction,...
eventually working as a gunman for Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo
Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo
Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo is a convicted Mexican drug lord known as "El Padrino" who in the 1980s formed the Guadalajara Cartel and became the first drug czar in Mexico to control all illegal drug traffic in Mexico and the corridors along the Mexico-U.S.A...
under the umbrella of the Guadalajara Cartel
Guadalajara Cartel
The Guadalajara Cartel was a Mexican drug cartel which was formed in the 1980s by Rafael Caro Quintero, Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo and Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo in order to ship heroin and marijuana to the United States...
. Palma rose the ranks, and along with Eduardo "El Lobito" Retamoza and Gallardo, were leaders of the cartel. Following the loss of a large cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
shipment, which was blamed on Retamoza and Palma, El Lobito was killed and Palma was spared. Following Retamoza's death, Palma contacted and created an alliance with Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzman of the rival Sinaloa Cartel.
Palma splintered from the group which was handed down to Gallardo's nephews in Tijuana
Tijuana
Tijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics...
, who later formed the Tijuana Cartel
Tijuana Cartel
The Tijuana Cartel is a Mexican drug cartel based in Tijuana. The cartel has been described as "one of the biggest and most violent criminal groups in Mexico"...
(Arellano Félix Organization). Palma, along with a Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
n trafficker named Rafael Enrique Clavel, one time boyfriend of his sister Minerva Palma, began operating their own cartel. In 1978 Palma was arrested in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
on drug trafficking and sentenced to 8 years in a U.S. prison. Upon his release, Palma discovered his wife, Guadalupe Leija Serrano, had run off with Clavel and taken their two kids. Clavel forced Guadalupe to withdraw 7 million from a bank account and later decapitated her, shipping her head back to Palma. The two children, Jesús and Nataly, were taken to Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
and dropped off of a bridge named Puente de la Concordia right in the border with Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. Clavel soon after went to work for Gallardo in the Tijuana Cartel. In retaliation, Palma executed Gallardo's lawyer and Clavel's three children.
Palma returned to trafficking within the Sinaloa Cartel, sharing leadership with Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzman.
In 1995 Palma was arrested after a 12 seat Lear jet
Lear Jet
Learjet is a manufacturer of business jets for civilian and military use. It was founded in the late 1950s by William Powell Lear as Swiss American Aviation Corporation. Learjet is now a subsidiary of Bombardier and marketed as the "Bombardier Learjet Family".-History:The Learjet started life as an...
he was flying on to attend a wedding party crashed. Palma was traveling from Ciudad Obregón
Ciudad Obregón
Ciudad Obregon is the second largest city in the northern Mexican state of Sonora and is situated south of the state's northern border with the U.S. state of Arizona. It is also the municipal seat of Cajeme municipality, located in the Yaqui Valley.- History :...
, Sonora
Sonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
to Guadalajara, Jalisco
Guadalajara, Jalisco
Guadalajara is the capital of the Mexican state of Jalisco, and the seat of the municipality of Guadalajara. The city is located in the central region of Jalisco in the western-pacific area of Mexico. With a population of 1,564,514 it is Mexico's second most populous municipality...
for a wedding ceremony when the plane was diverted and unable to locate a new landing strip in time. Palma survived the crash and was later arrested by Mexican military officers, originally evading capture by traveling in full uniform as a Federal Judicial Police officer complete with identification and armed caravan of FJP personnel.
Corruption
Palma has managed to the depths of the Mexican Federal Judicial Police (FJP), evading detection by posing as one in complete uniform with identification and traveling in a heavily armed caravan of FJP officers. It was later discovered he was able to evade capture by staying at the home of the local police commander.In addition to the corruption present within the police force, it has been documented to have spread to the judicial system. Due to bribery of judges the Sinaloa Cartel have evaded prosecution repeatedly. In 2004, 18 men were arrested in possession of 28 machine guns, 2 hand guns
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
, 223 cartridges, 10k bullets, 12 grenade launchers, 18 hand grenades, smoke grenades and bulletproof vests. The men were set free by Judge Jose Luis Gomez Martinez who stated there was no evidence they were part of any criminal organization.
See also
- Drug war
- Mexican Drug WarMexican Drug WarThe Mexican Drug War is an ongoing armed conflict taking place among rival drug cartels who fight each other for regional control, and Mexican government forces who seek to combat drug trafficking. However, the government's principal goal has been to put down the drug-related violence that was...
- Merida InitiativeMérida InitiativeThe Mérida Initiative is a security cooperation agreement between the United States and the government of Mexico and the countries of Central America, with the declared aim of combating the threats of drug trafficking, transnational organized crime and money laundering...