Don Balde killed during a June 8 operation by the Pakal Reaction Force in Las Champas, Chiapas, ending his role as founder of the Chiapas-Guatemala cartel and CJNG collaborator.
On Sunday, June 8, in the commercial border zone of Las Champas, Frontera Comalapa in Chiapas, elements of the Fuerza de Reacción Inmediata Pakal shot and killed Baldemar Calderón Carrillo, known as “Don Balde” or “Tío Balde.” Calderón Carrillo was the founder and leader of the Chiapas-Guatemala cartel and a key collaborator of the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel (CJNG). Authorities confirmed that four suspects died in the clash, including the cartel’s plaza boss, during a high-risk operation designed to dismantle cross-border criminal networks.
According to the state’s secretary of public security, Óscar Aparicio Avendaño, the confrontation unfolded after Don Balde’s convoy attempted to evade a security checkpoint. Elite officers from the Pakal Reaction Force pursued the vehicle into the Sierra region, exchanging fire until the suspects were neutralized. The pursuit marked one of the most significant blows to cartel operations in the region this year.
“A total of four criminals were killed, among them the plaza boss who managed operations in Guatemala and recruited Kaibiles,” Aparicio Avendaño said in a phone interview. “He handled logistics and controlled drug routes on both sides of the border.” He added that the force demonstrated “valor, skill, and exceptional training” during the decisive raid.
Don Balde’s cartel maintained a strategic alliance with the CJNG, acting as the group’s logistical arm in southeastern Mexico and Guatemala. Originally from La Democracia in Huehuetenango, Guatemala, Calderón Carrillo established his base in Las Champas several years ago. Under his command, the cartel financed CJNG operations, directed drug trafficking, and orchestrated other criminal activities across Chiapas municipalities such as Frontera Comalapa and Amatenango de la Frontera.
Guatemala’s Crime Stoppers platform confirmed that Baldemar Calderón Carrillo was sought for homicide charges. Despite the operation’s success, Chiapas security officials said they will sustain a permanent presence in the border region to prevent the re-emergence of rival factions. “We will not leave Frontera Comalapa,” the secretary affirmed. “Our commitment is to maintain order and protect local communities”.
Local merchants reported that cartel threats kept many businesses in Las Champas closed in the days following the clash. Vendors told Milenio that cartel members warned they would burn vehicles or passenger vans if owners attempted to open shop. By Wednesday, June 11, the Mexico-Guatemala border gate remained open but unmanned by Chiapas security forces, and more businesses began to resume operations.
The death of Don Balde marks a critical disruption to cartel leadership in the region. Security analysts say it could trigger a power struggle among rival cells vying for control of trafficking routes. For now, authorities have vowed to keep up the pressure on organized crime, deploying additional units to reinforce checkpoints and patrols along the border corridor.
