Fernando Sanchez Arellano, alias 'El Ingeniero'

Fernando Sanchez Arellano, alias "El Ingeniero" or "Fernandito," is the enigmatic head of the Tijuana Cartel, a.k.a. the Fernando Sanchez Organization. Sanchez Arellano is the son of Enedina, who is the sister of the founding members of the Arellano Felix Organization, the original Tijuana Cartel. Almost all of the original crew are either dead or in jail. Sanchez Arellano is approaching 40 years old, but little is known about him and no recent pictures of him have been released by authorities.

His operations, detailed in a July indictment in the U.S. Federal Court of San Diego District, are multi-layered and wide-ranging, including drug trafficking, extortion, robbery and kidnapping. He is thought to work closely with his mother, Enedina, who for years ran the money side of the family business. His organization has also penetrated the highest levels of the state and local governments, including allegedly co-opting the Baja California Attorney General Office’s liaison with the United States government. He is thought to be just a little over five feet tall, and obsessed with developing his muscles. Former associates say he spends inordinate amounts of time in the gym. This beefed up physique, however, has not translated into more power. He is said to have trouble corralling his troops, many of whom have defected and work with the rival Sinaloa Cartel.

Resources

William Finnegan, “In the Name of the Law,” New Yorker, 18 October 2010
“Mexico’s Drug Cartels,” Congressional Research Services, 28 February 2008 (pdf)
Hector de Mauleon, “Tijuana: En la colina de El Pozolero,” Nexos, 1 August 2009
"De la Rosa: La disminucion de El Ingeniero,” Zeta, Edicion 1920
"El dicipulo de los Arellano Felix," Proceso, 4 May 2011