The Attorney General’s Office of the state of Sonora in northern Mexico released footage through its social networks showing an incident at a drag racing event at the Hermosillo track. The video identifies Jesus Francisco Sarrazin Lorh, known by the nickname Pirate, as the head of the criminal group Los Salazar, affiliated with the Sinaloa cartel, a key player in regional narco activity. (Attribution: Sonora Prosecutor’s Office)
The crash happened on a Friday afternoon at the mentioned track while the driver, aboard a dragster oriented for acceleration, appears to have lost control and overturned on the road. The video shows no collision with a barrier or another car in the heat of the race, suggesting a mechanical issue rather than a collision as the trigger for the incident. (Attribution: Sonora Prosecutor’s Office)
Retaining wall
Experienced drag racers and observers, many with extensive histories in this fast lane, told EFE that the car driven by Pirate did not come to a controlled stop and ultimately struck the retaining wall. The observers noted the expected safety mechanism for drag racing, the parachute brake, should have deployed automatically if the braking system failed, but it did not, allowing the vehicle to continue toward the barrier. This sequence astonished seasoned participants who expected the emergency stop to function as designed. (Attribution: EFE)
Edgardo Núñez, a singer-songwriter associated with narcocorridos, is quoted as saying that the adrenaline rush behind the wheel can overwhelm even the most controlled nerves. His sentiment reflects the dangerous appetite often celebrated in certain circles of the scene. (Attribution: interview coverage)
The same song links Sarrazin Lorh to leadership roles within the plaza first in Huatabampo and later in Hermosillo, the capital of Sonora, underscoring the potential correlation between high-profile racing events and cartel influence in the region. (Attribution: local reporting)
gun among clothes
Law enforcement later reported that Pirate arrived at clinic number 14 of the Mexican Social Security Administration severely injured and registered under the name Efrén Saúl Yocupicio Colorado. As investigators pursued the case, his true identity emerged, and authorities found a pistol among his clothing. The discovery of a firearm in close proximity to the incident raised questions about whether weapons were carried for intimidation or other purposes related to criminal activity. (Attribution: Justice Prosecutor’s Office)
Posted in quick succession on social channels, the message from the Sonora Prosecutor’s Office noted that Jesús Francisco Sarrazin Lorh, known as El Pirata, died after arriving at a public hospital in Hermosillo. The update also confirmed the presence of a 22 caliber firearm in his possession at the time of his death. The case drew attention to the broader investigations into violent criminal networks in the Sonora region. (Attribution: Sonora Prosecutor’s Office)
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, there was an open arrest warrant for unlawful deprivation of liberty tied to the pirate alias, highlighting that state authorities had identified him as a priority target within security operations. (Attribution: State Security Council records)
The Attorney General’s Office released official statements tied to the incident, noting that the video and the subsequent updates circulated on social networks as part of ongoing public communications around the event. (Attribution: Attorney General’s Office)
The Salazars are identified as maintaining alliances with pacific or Sinaloa cartel networks involved in the trafficking of drugs, weapons, money, and people across borders to and from the United States, a pattern that ties local criminal leadership to broader transnational activity. (Attribution: investigative reporting)