CHICOLOAPAN, Estado de Mexico — Marco Antonio Gómez Vargas, an alleged high-ranking regional criminal operative known as “El Kino,” was arrested on Friday, July 10, following a coordinated security operation, according to Mexican official records and media reports.
Gómez Vargas is the brother of Nancy Gómez Vargas, the prominent Morena party politician who served two consecutive terms as the mayor of Chicoloapan, a municipality in the State of Mexico bordering Mexico City.
The arrest was carried out through a joint effort by the federal Secretariat of Security and Civilian Protection (SSPC)—led by Omar García Harfuch—and the special warrants unit of the State of Mexico Attorney General’s Office. Reports indicate the operation tracked and apprehended Gómez Vargas in the southern state of Chiapas.
Intelligence and journalistic investigations identify “El Kino” as a key operator for the La Familia Michoacana cartel in the eastern region of the State of Mexico. He is allegedly linked to a network responsible for local drug distribution, extortion schemes, and at least eight homicides in and around Chicoloapan.
The arrest generated immediate scrutiny after Mexico’s National Detention Register (RND) published two separate booking files for Gómez Vargas within a 24-hour window. The first file, filed Friday night, listed him under the alias “El Quino,” while a second file appeared Saturday morning as “El Kino.” While both entries described identical clothing and tattoos, slight discrepancies in recorded height and physical build raised questions regarding his custody status during the initial hours of the operation.
This arrest follows a history of criminal allegations surrounding the former mayor’s inner circle. In July 2023, another brother, Alexis Gómez Vargas, was arrested in possession of a firearm and marijuana but was released within 48 hours without charges. Furthermore, in late 2024, a massive federal sweep known as Operativo Enjambre resulted in the arrest of Chicoloapan’s top local police chiefs for alleged cartel ties.
Ex-mayor Nancy Gómez has consistently denied any involvement with organized crime. Following the security operations, she released a video statement clarifying her position: “I am responsible for my actions, not for the actions of third parties or family members.”
Source: Infobae
