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Crime

Sinaloa Cartel Officer “El Payin” Killed by Probable Car Bomb Outside Mexico City

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By Samantha Johnson / March 31, 2026

By “El Huaso” for Borderland Beat

Sinaloa Cartel officer Francisco Beltrán “N” alias “El Payin” was killed when his vehicle exploded just after arriving at Felipe Angeles International Airport just outside Mexico City yesterday afternoon.

The explosion was captured on a rear camera of another vehicle while driving on highway 85 Mexico-Pachuca towards Mexico City. The video shows an explosion under a black Toyota Tacoma, which then veers off its path before crashing off the highway. Authorities have not confirmed the cause of the explosion.

If confirmed to be a car bomb, it would be the fourth on record in Mexico this year.

Video posted by Josue Aguilar Twitter.

Photos taken after the explosion show both El Payin (passenger seat) and the driver, Humberto Raquel “N”, both from Sinaloa state, dead inside the vehicle.

The location was geolocated to (19.7268773, -98.9705649) by @natsecboogie, @VaqueroJoe and @el6rin6o6aucho.

According to journalist Antonio Nieto, the two men were headed to Tepito, a neighborhood in central Mexico City known for being a hotbed of criminality, with narcotienditas, stash houses, and locations for purchasing weaponry.

Not much is known about El Payin. Vivo en Marte, a cartel news Twitter user claims he was an officer under Manuel Noriega, alias “El Meño” or “El 4×1,” a powerful lieutenant and security chief within the Mayos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel. This has not been claimed elsewhere.

Sources: Zeta Tijuana, @natsecboogie Twitter, @LuisCardenasMx Twitter, Josue Aguilar Twitter, Antonio Nieto Twitter


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