A 14-year-old boy has been arrested and charged with murder after allegedly killing eight people in a drug-related act that took place on January 22 in Mexico City, the Associated Press has reported. Though the child's real name has not been released, he's been referred to as "El Chapito," or Little Chapo, an apparent reference to the infamous drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman who is currently in prison for his crimes.
Now the story is making headlines around the world and once again sounding the alarm about the many disturbing ways children are used as pawns by the Mexican drug cartel.
The allegations being leveled against the teen are horrific
According to Mexican authorities, the boy allegedly rode a motorcycle to the low-income suburb of Chimalhuacan in Mexico City. There, a family was hosting a birthday party inside their home when chaos erupted.
El Chapito is said to have opened fire on the party-goers, unleashing a spray of bullets that killed eight people including a 3-year-old child. The gunfire also left five adults and two more children badly wounded.
As of now, a motive for the shooting spree remains unclear
That said, contract killings and kidnappings are sadly routine for Mexican drug gangs. According to the AP, these gangs frequently kill rivals selling drugs on their territory, or people who owe them money, and children are often turned into unlikely assassins.
A 14-year-old boy with the nickname El Chapito was arrested after eight people, including a three-year-old, were shot down at a birthday party. Mexican drug cartels have a long history of using children as assassins. https://t.co/X5b1eyHAuy
— VICE News (@VICENews) March 17, 2023
One AP report from 2021 found that children as young as 10 are often recruited by drug cartels.
"They go around looking for kids who are out on the streets and need money,” one Mexican teen told the outlet at the time.
"Who doesn’t want money?" the teen said before admitting that by 12 years old, he'd advanced to "sort of a hired killer."
Sadly, there are many more stories just like this one
In 2010, another 14-year-old boy who was nicknamed "El Ponchis" (or "The Cloak") made headlines for similar offenses. At the time, the teen said that he'd been kidnapped at age 11 and forced to work for another drug gang against his will. It was then that he allegedly participated in at least four different killings where victims were tortured and decapitated.
The teen was eventually arrested, found guilty, and imprisoned in Mexico City, but in 2013 he was released and sent to live in the U.S.
As for the January massacre, other arrests have also been made
Mexican authorities have also arrested someone by the name of El Ñoño in connection with the killing, along with nine other gang members who have not been identified.
According to People, investigators were only able to track down the alleged hitmen after arresting their gang leader, 28-year-old "El Lenguas," on February 25.
