In a joint operation of federal forces, Mexican authorities arrested Kevin Alonso Gil Acosta, alias “200” or “El Cabo”, identified as an alleged operator and one of the security chiefs of The Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa cartel led by Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar. The operation, which took place on the night of February 19, 2025, at 11:35 p.m. in the town of Culiacancito, Sinaloa, was part of a megaoperative that included raids, flyovers, and seals in different parts of the capital.

In the same deployment, other relatives were arrested, including Gustavo Acosta López, 56 years old. The operation was a significant blow to the Sinaloa Cartel, which has long been a thorn in the side of Mexican authorities and a major concern for U.S. law enforcement.

The arrests occurred within the same operation in which José Ángel Canobbio Inzunza, alias “The Güerito”, was arrested hours before. “The Güerito” is indicated as The successor of the Chapitos, their financial operator, and the mastermind behind the fentanyl trade.

The capture of “The Güerito” unleashed a mass mobilization of federal forces in Culiacán. Since the afternoon of February 19, elements of the Mexican Army, the National Guard (GN), the Secretariat of the Navy (Semar), and the Ministry of Citizen Security and Protection (SSPC) conducted raids, installed seals, and deployed artillery helicopters in various sectors of the city, including Tierra Blanca, University City, the Island, Campiña, Las Quintas, and Culiacancito.

The operation in White Earth stood out for the incursion of military forces into a two-story white residence where they broke in, forcing windows and doors of the second level while a helicopter flew overhead at low height. It is speculated that the target of the search was a priority operator of the Sinaloa Cartel, who allegedly managed to escape through a tunnel inside the house. It is unknown if the person who would have escaped was one of the Acostas.

The detainees were taken into custody of the Prosecutor’s Office Specialized in Organized Crime (FEMDO/FEIDCS) and were moved to Mexico City where they will face federal investigations.

Security sources have indicated that “200” is a key operator within the Chapitos with a direct function in the protection of Iván Archivaldo Guzmán. His capture is seen as a important blow against the structure of the Sinaloa Cartel, as it could affect the security and logistics operations of the criminal group.

According to different sources, its influence within the criminal group has been mentioned several times, even by Dámaso López Serrano, alias “El Mini Lic”. According to information from Narco Chronicles, Gil Acosta and his brother Karim Elías Gil Acosta, alias “The 300”, had under their command Juan Luis Castro Morales, alias “The Gavilán”, who today has a key role in the safety of minors after the departure of Jorge Humberto Figueroa Benítez, alias “The 27” or “La Perris”, who left Culiacán after operations of the Mexican authorities to capture him.

In November 2023, “200” was present at a meeting in Culiacán along with Óscar Noah Medina González, “El Panu,” and “The Güerito” where the growing pressure of the authorities and the possible delivery of information to facilitate the capture of Néstor Isidro Pérez Salas, alias “The Nini”, another security chief of The Chapitos, was discussed. “The Nini” was arrested November 23, 2023 in an operation that initially sought to eliminate him, but that ended with his arrest.

It is not the first time that Kevin Alonso Gil Acosta has been arrested. On February 19, 2015, exactly 10 years ago, he was captured with his brother Karim Elías Gil Acosta in the bureaucrat colony of Culiacán. On that occasion, they were assured A launcher, 11 short weapons, 35 loaders, 17 communication radios, and four vehicles, in addition to bananas and cucumbers containing cocaine.

“200” and “The 300” are also linked to the kidnapping and homicide of Hugo Castellanos Jiménez, a judge of a beauty contest in Sinaloa in 2016. It is presumed that the murder occurred in the context of manipulation of the results of the contest Miss World Sinaloa where the winner would have been chosen by internal arrangements of the cartel.

The arrest of “200” and “The Güerito” happened on the same day that the former president of the United States, Donald Trump, announced the designation of the Sinaloa Cartel as a foreign terrorist organization along with five other criminal groups in Mexico.

This measure, which will enter into force from this February 20, will allow the United States to apply more severe sanctions against cartel members, freeze assets, and increase their intervention capacity against the group.

In the document published in the Federal Register of the United States, the U.S. government argues that these organizations represent a direct threat to national security and that its activity in fentanyl trafficking has caused a public health crisis in American territory.