La Linea Cartel Leader’s Capture Unveils Hidden Texas Mass Grave

In August 2023, Border Patrol agents caught sight of a lone Hispanic male shuffling along the shoulder of FM 170, near the city of Presidio, Texas.

Assuming he was a Mexican national from across the border, they approached with a request for identification, which was provided. Upon inspection, it was determined that the man was a U.S. citizen who had illegally re-entered the States by crossing the river, rather than the port-of-entry.

As a result, the man was taken into custody and transported to a detention facility. And there, the full truth of his identity would be discovered.

La Menchaca

Sergio Menchaca Pizarro was also known to federal agents as "La Menchaca", the leader of the La Lina Cartel's operations in nearby Ojinaga in Mexico. La Linea ("The Line") is a faction of the Juarez Cartel, and is often considered the enforcer unit of the larger organization.

As a result, a federal judge denied release and ordered him held on charges of illegal entry and trafficking. This would allow federal agents additional time to investigate La Menchaca's full extent of involvement in the cartel.

Pizarro, along with other high-ranking members of La Linea cartel operations in Ojinaga, were later named in a multi-count indictment for involvement in organized crime, marijuana trafficking and human smuggling.

READ MORE: Fear In The Heart of Texas; Mexican Cartels in the Lone Star State

Small Potatoes

In an organization like the Mexican cartels, there are levels and hierarchies of power that vary by region and scope. While Pizarro was indeed a cartel leader, he was "small potatoes" compared to cartels in other Mexican border cities, according to cartel expert Howard Campbell in an interview with Marfa Public Radio.

"It's important that the top guy in that particular border town got busted, but it doesn't change anything at the national level," Campbell said. "And he'll be replaced."

The Mass Grave & Guilty Plea

In the month following Pizarro's arrest, the Dallas Morning News reported that the cartel boss had shared information with authorities that would lead to the discovery of a hidden mass grave in Mexico. According to a confidential source, Mexican authorities tentatively linked the grave with a migrant group's disappearance two years prior.

On June 28th, La Menchaca pled guilty to an organized crime charge sometimes refered to as the "Kingpin Statute", which is reserved for high-level prosecutions of participants in drug trade organizations.

Pizarro's sentencing hearing is scheduled for September. The "small potatoes" leader of La Linea faces a life sentence if a federal judge finds him to be a principal organizer in the operation.