A 15-year-old identified as Alberto S. S., known by the alias “Chuchito Nini,” was killed alongside Luis Enrique Barragán Chávez, alias “El Güicho” or “El R-5,” during a Mexican security operation at a rural property in Michoacán. Latinus reported, citing a source within the federal security cabinet.
Identification followed, after relatives claimed the remains. Latinus cited the source who identified Alberto as Barragán Chávez’s nephew and alleged personal escort, without attributing a formal role in the organization to him.
Based on intelligence from the XII Military Region, forces moved on Barragán Chávez. The operation ran overnight on Aug. 30 at Rodeo del Pinal ranch in Tocumbo. Units involved: Mexican Army, National Guard, Navy, state Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection, and the Civil Guard. Goal: detain Barragán Chávez.
Los Reyes , Michoacán 📍
— Ivan (@idn__03) September 3, 2026
Amigos de “Chuchito Nini” lamentan su muerte quien fuera abatido en un operativo de fuerzas especiales del Ejército Mexicano junto con su tío El Güicho De Los Reyes o R5 lamentan su muerte.
Fuerzas Especiales Wicho pic.twitter.com/ZeCqcJMbPe
Troops reached the ranch and came under gunfire, the federal security cabinet said. They returned fire. At the scene, Barragán Chávez and one companion were killed.
The haul included two automatic rifles, ammunition, magazines of various calibers, and an all-terrain quad bike. Everything, plus the bodies, went to the state Attorney General’s Office for legal proceedings.
The government communiqué did not identify the second person killed, referring to him only as Barragán Chávez’s “companion.” His identification as Alberto S. S. came from the federal security-cabinet source.
Barragán Chávez had recently taken control of the Los Reyes Cartel after Mexican Army troops arrested Alfonso Fernández Magallón, alias “Poncho” or “La Quiringüa,” on Aug. 1 in Los Reyes de Salgado. He faced a provisional arrest warrant for extradition to the United States.
The U.S. State Department had posted a reward of up to $3 million in August 2025, for information leading to his arrest on drug- and arms-trafficking charges.
The State Department described Barragán Chávez as the Los Reyes Cartel’s chief sicario and identified him as a figure operating within Cárteles Unidos in Michoacán.
The U.S. Treasury Department, in sanctions announced in August 2025, characterized him instead as a regional leader of Cárteles Unidos and linked him to extortion in the avocado sector.
Mexico’s government also said Barragán Chávez maintained links with Juan José N, alias “El Abuelo,” whom it identified as the head of the Tepalcatepec Cartel. The connection places Barragán Chávez within the wider network of criminal groups operating across Michoacán.
The Los Reyes Cartel is reported to operate across Los Reyes, Peribán, Tocumbo, Cotija and Tingüindín. It belongs to Cárteles Unidos, a Michoacán alliance that has fought the Jalisco New Generation Cartel for territory and that U.S. authorities have tied to drug trafficking, extortion and other crimes.
Así nomas quedo? “Chuchito El Nini” del Cartel de Los Reyes el famoso sicario, uno de los abatidos sirviendo de escolta a su jefe El R-5 pic.twitter.com/y4lYRTZHsP
— El Diario Del Narco (@Diariodenarco) September 1, 2026
The reported tie to Barragán Chávez puts new weight on what was already circulating about Alberto’s role. Social-media photos showed him with long guns, pistols, radios and tactical gear, including patches marked “Nini,” “Chuchito” and “Cazador.”
The teenager’s death also highlights documented concern in Michoacán: minors inside criminal groups, and the child-protection problem that follows.
