“El Pío,” the Son of “El Balta” and a Associate of Mayo Zambada, Has Been Arrested

“Sol Prendido” for Borderland Beat

Federal forces arrested José Porfirio Díaz Medina alias El Pío, son of the Sinaloan drug trafficker Baltasar Díaz Vega, yesterday, Thursday. Who died in March 1988 during a shootout recorded in Mexico City, in which two judicial police officers died.

According to official information, the arrest took place in the vicinity of a food business identified as the taqueria La Pasada on the Los Mochis Topolobampo highway, in the Las Misiones residential area, in the city of Los Mochis, without any major incidents being reported.

He was wanted by Interpol. However, so far the sources consulted do not publicly detail the specific charges for which he was wanted, nor the country that would have requested international collaboration through Interpol.

After his capture, José Porfirio Díaz Medina was placed at the disposal of the Federal Public Ministry, remaining under custody in the facilities of the Attorney General’s Office with headquarters in Los Mochis.

His father, Baltasar Díaz Vega, is identified as a drug trafficker during the 1980s. In journalistic archives, Díaz Vega, aka  El Balta, appears linked to the historical context of Ismael El Mayo Zambada, founder of the Sinaloa cartel. 

The name of Baltasar Díaz Vega has been cited in journalistic investigations about the alliances that were part of the historical configuration of the Sinaloa cartel. Rio Doce noted that, following the fragmentation of the old Guadalajara Cartel, Zambada allied with Díaz Vega, with whom he maintained a relationship of confidant and political kinship. 

He was born on the El Zapote ranch in the municipality of Badiraguato. He was a cattleman and businessman, in addition to engaging in illicit activities for decades.

His story inspired the narco ballad “Se Le Peló Baltazar.” This song, performed by artists such as Valentín Elizalde and groups like La Arrolladora Banda El Limón, tells the story of the episode in which Díaz Vega managed to evade the authorities when they tried to arrest him at his ranch.

Source: Grillonautas 2