Homicide allegations emerge in death of former rector Héctor Melesio Cuén

New allegations have emerged regarding the death of Héctor Melesio Cuén Ojeda, former rector of the Autonomous University of Sinaloa and former mayor of Culiacán. Fausto Corrales Rodríguez, Cuén’s former driver and assistant, has claimed that the death was not the result of a gas station robbery as previously reported by Sinaloa authorities, but was instead a homicide orchestrated by the ‘Los Chapitos’ faction of the Sinaloa Cartel.

Corrales Rodríguez stated in a video that Cuén died from a gunshot wound to the foot that led to a heart attack during a meeting at the Huertos del Pedregal ranch in Culiacán. This location is also noted as the site where Ismael Zambada García was reportedly taken into custody by Joaquín Guzmán López.

The Federal Attorney General's Office (FGR) recently announced the detention of Corrales Rodríguez. The case has faced scrutiny due to previous investigations by the Sinaloa Prosecutor's Office, which had suggested the crime occurred during an attempted robbery at a gas station—a claim now being characterized as a staged cover-up.