“HEARST” for Borderland Beat
In light of Nini’s recent arrest, the following is a brief overview of some of the notable events in Nini’s criminal history.
The Beginnings
Nestor Isidro Pérez Salas was born on March 9, 1992 in the state of Baja California, in Mexico. (Source) At an unknown point in time, Nestor Isidro began working as a Sinaloa Cartel – Chapitos hitman and began going by the criminal alias “El Nini” as well as “Chicken Little”, “El 19”, and “El 09”.
Over time, Nini grew within the ranks of the group and he moved to primarily live within the state of Sinaloa. On November 30, 2013, when he was 21 years old, Nini was arrested for illegal firearm possession in Culiacán, Sinaloa, but he was released shortly after being detained. (Source)
His Days as Ivan’s Personal Security
Nini eventually began working within the group of hitmen who worked as the personal security detail of Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar, the leader of los Chapitos – at least according to the 2015 song “El Tiempo es Caro” (one of Nini’s narcocorridos) which says “I have in my hands the security of Mr. Archivaldo, the same with El Panu, and Alfredito knows well that I will not fail him.”
The “Panu” mentioned in the lyrics refers to the criminal alias of Oscar Noe Medina Gonzalez, one of Ivan Guzman’s top lieutenants, and “Alfredito” refers to Ivan’s brother Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar.
The US State Department described Nini as “one of the leaders in the Chapitos’ security apparatus. Perez Salas works directly for Ivan Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar’s principal deputy, Oscar Noe Medina Gonzalez, and holds responsibility within the Chapitos’ security apparatus for Sinaloa Cartel security in the Mexican state of Sinaloa.”
Nini also began to develop his own group of loyal followers. The hitmen who worked under him were known simply as “Ninis”.
On September 29, 2016, Cartel de Sinaloa (CDS) member Julio Óscar Ortiz Vega, alias “El Kevin”, had his gunmen ambush a group of soldiers in the Bacacoragua region, in Badiraguato, Sinaloa. After a gun battle, El Kevin and his men surrendered.
El Kevin had been injured in the battle, so he was loaded into an ambulance and the military escorted the ambulance as it drove to the closest major hospital. A group of 60 CDS hitmen (according to El Mundo) attacked the military convoy in an attempt to free El Kevin.
Five soldiers were killed in the attack but El Kevin was successfully freed from law enforcement custody. General Alfonso Duarte Múgica told reporters that “it is very likely” that those responsible are the sons of El Chapo.
Jorge Fernandez Mendez alleges that El Nini directly led the group of 60 hitmen (on the orders of Ivan) in their attack on the convoy. He appears to be the only source which alleges Nini’s involvement.
On October 17, 2019, Nini and his hitmen were known to have participated in the CDS efforts to free Ovidio Guzman after he was arrested in Culiacan, Sinaloa.
On that day, CDS hitmen launched a flurry of attacks on federal forces in the area in an event that would be dubbed “Culiacanazo”. The violence of the attacks and the fear of further escalation eventually led to Ovidio being released from custody and he continued operating as a leadership figure within CDS for years to come.
It’s never been quite clear to what degree Nini was involved in Culiacanazo, as the audio clips of CDS radios demonstrate that an unknown male (some speculate El Gavilan) was the main coordinator of the CDS attacks.
Showboat
For years, Nini frequently posted photos on social media of his apartment which was adorned with paintings of Ivan’s father, El Chapo, and featured a gilded throne-like chair. In video clips, Nini showed off various pieces of custom CDS-themed gold jewelry.
Nini was known to invite over various social media influencers, such as MarkitosToys, to his home where he’d show off his latest big purchase, whether that be a sports car or a white tiger cub bought through the black market, for their cameras.
A number of his videos were later reuploaded onto platforms like Youtube and TikTok, including ones showing his white Bengal tiger when it was just a cub, as the tiger explored a large garage full of luxury vehicles.
Nini is known to be married to Gaby Fernandez, the daughter of Manuel Fernandez Valencia from the Valencia crime family. (Source) El Panu was reportedly the one who introduced Nini to the Fernandez family.
Nini also developed a deep-seated rivalry with another Sinaloa Cartel group called “los Rusos”, who come from the Mayo aligned side of the cartel. The rivalry between the groups often escalated to gun battles and murders.
As an example, in June 2020, Nini allegedly kidnapped Anahi, the sister of “El Negro Azabache”, a cartel figure from the rival group Los Rusos. Nini agreed to release Anahi when, and if, El Negro Azabache turned himself in to Nini and his hitmen – a deal which El Negro Azabache ultimately agreed to. Not much more was heard of this exchange after but there were rumors that Azabache began working for Nini after becoming his captive. (Source )
In February 2021, Nini was indicted in US court on charges related to the trafficking of cocaine and meth, as well as charges of witness retaliation.
The Fall from Grace
At some point Nini is said to have fallen out of Ivan’s favor. According to a reliable source, Ivan allegedly considered having his hitmen kill Nini because Nini’s violent behavior was heating up the plaza but José Ángel Canobbio, alias “El 90”, talked Ivan out of the idea.
In May 2022, Nini’s convoy of hitmen entered into a shootout with military soldiers in the city of Culiacán. Nini allegedly made it out of the encounter without being killed or arrested. (Source)
In April 2023, Nini was indicted in US court again, this time as part of a larger sweeping indictment against the Chapitos network in a filing which focused on the group’s trafficking of fentanyl into the US.
The incidents detailed in this indictment would set off a series of events that eventually led to Nini’s recent arrest.
To be continued in a future story.