Rolando Ángulo Meza, alias "El 80", a high ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel, was arrested along with two others by members of the Ninth Military Zone, in coordination with officers of the State Police, on Sunday, December 28 in Culiacán, Sinaloa. During the operation, two rifles, a pistol, 678 rounds of ammunition of different calibers, thirteen ammunition clips, a fragmentation grenade, and a packet containing what appeared to be heroine was confiscated.
"El 80", 44 years old, was once a municipal police officer in Culiacán. He is reported to have become one of the principal operators for the Sinaloa Cartel, working directly under the command of Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar, alias "El Chapito", a son of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán.
He was further said to be the head of the Culiacán plaza following the
death of Francisco Torres, alias "El 50", on August 3, 2013 in a shootout in which "El 80" participated. Initially, it was rumored that "El 80" was among those killed in that operation; it is now being reported that he managed to escape through a tunnel connecting the house to the storm drain. It is worth noting that at the time of his arrest, "El 80" carried a .38 caliber pistol engraved in the memory of "El 50"
It was reported that unofficial information indicated that "El 80" was the person who dictated the rules by which the drug dealers of Culiacán had to follow, as well as being entrusted to order the killing of unauthorized dealers and alleged car robbers who operated without his consent.
