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Current Affairs

CJNG Hitman Commander Killed in Shootout in El Alpuyequito, Colima

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By Samantha Johnson / March 18, 2026
By “El Huaso” for Borderland Beat

Four CJNG members, including “El Joker” a hitman commander responsible for ten murders & ordering another 15, were killed in a police shootout in El Alpuyequito, Colima on Saturday. In 2025, El Joker was arrested and sentenced to 3 years for carrying a firearm, but was conditionally released after paying a 500 peso (USD 28) fine.
Iván “N” “El Joker” and Fernando “N”, another of the four killed, were allegedly behind an attack on Colima State Police forces on February 27, killing one officer and injuring another. Authorities were able to identify El Joker by through surveillance footage and vehicle monitoring.
 

Investigators first identified a silver Honda pickup linked to the attackers passing through Tonila, Jalisco on February 21 before entering Colima later that evening. A February 24 report of armed men in a dark SUV in Coquimatlán led authorities to identify a maroon Renault Koleos the next day, which then became the focus of the investigation. On February 28, facial recognition software identified the vehicle’s driver as El Joker. 

The SUV was not detected again until March 13, when authorities received reports of armed men near the Alpuyeque brecha. When state police attempted to stop the Renault Koleos, the occupants opened fire, prompting officers to return fire and kill the four individuals inside. El Joker, along with Fernando “N” “La Bomba”, Junior “N” and Enrique “N” “Chirimiki”, were all killed. No police officers were injured. Police recovered firearms, tactical vests, and explosives.

This was not El Joker’s first encounter with the authorities. He was arrested in Manzanillo in September 2025 for possession of firearms, sentenced to three years, but was released with a “conditional sentence” after paying 500 pesos.


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