Iván Morales Corralesexsuboficial of the extinct Federal Police And one of the survivors of the attack in which the New Generation Jalisco Cartel (CJNG) knocked down a military helicopter during an operation to capture Nemesio Oseguera Cervantesalias “The Mencho”was killed on Tuesday, April 30.
Local authorities confirmed that the events occurred in the subdivision The breezesin the municipality of TemixcoMorelos. The armed attack was recorded around 8:00 hours, when armed subjects intercepted the black truck in which Morales Corrales and a woman traveled.
Information released by local media such as THE DIARIO DE MORELOS He points out that the aggressors circulated in a truck Urban Blancawith which they blocked the passage of the Morales vehicle and They opened fire on at least 15 occasions. Witnesses told the authorities that the attackers fled to the main avenue, where they were waiting for them motorcycle To facilitate your escape.
Paramedics and security elements that arrived at the scene confirmed that both victims had died from multiple gunshot wounds. The bodies were transferred to Forensic Medical Service (Semefo) For the corresponding necropsy. The identity of the victims was released hours after the attack.
So far, there are no detained people, but according to police sources cited by The Universalamong the lines of research is a possible revenge linked to his career as a federal exagent.
The Jalisco operation It was a federal deployment executed the May 1, 2015 by the National Defense Secretariat with the aim of capturing “The Mencho”leader of CJNG. That day, a convoy of special forces mobilized towards Purification Villain the southern coast region of the state of Jaliscowhere the boss was allegedly hidden.
The device contemplated an air operation with the participation of at least three helicopters, including a Cougar with registration 1009which transported 18 Elements between military personnel and federal agents. One of the passengers was Iván Morales CorralesNCO of the Federal Police commissioned to the mission.
According to Morales in an interview with Univision In 2023, the operation was highly confidential. On board the helicopter, information about the tactical details of the mission were shared, precisely to avoid leaks. “We did not carry communication at all, for the same reason, so that the information would not be filtered,” said the exagent.
During the first hours of May 1, helicopters flew villa purification. The cougar in which Morales was traveling had the mission of opening the air perimeter and identifying threats to allow the rest of the squad to display safely. However, when entering the area, FThey were surprised for an extremely violent offensive.
The CJNG hitmen, already prepared to repel the operation, used War weaponsincluding one Browning M2 heavy machine gunand fusil antimaterial Barrett M82 and a RPG-7 rivers Of Soviet origin, originally designed to destroy tanks. Morales said they saw how “the bullets crossed” the helicopter fuselage. The power of the attack was such that Two grenades reached the aircraft, severely damaging the rotor.
“Many of the staff we were died at that time,” said Morales. The crew suffered casualties instantly, but the pilot managed to maneuver the helicopter to avoid a free fall. “Thanks to the pilot, the helicopter was still planning, because if we had fallen into free fall, he would have exploded,” he added.
When the helicopter touched land wrapped in flames, Morales did not have visible injuries, but the persistent fire and shots of the CJNG surrounded him. In the midst of confusion, he took his Short weapon And he began shooting at the hitmen, trying to cover his escape. However, His uniform began to catch fire.
“I left and I began to burn very fast,” he recalled. In an attempt desperate to save his life, he stripped himself from the jacket and the bulletproof vest he was wearing. “It was what saved me,” he said. Then he threw himself to the ground to suffocate the flames. “I turned off shooting because this part of my clothes was still burned.”
With the body already burned in large part, he managed to hide behind a stone, where he waited for several minutes until a rescue team of the Sedena managed to locate and evacuate it. In total, Nine colleagues diedand alone Nine survivedmany with serious injuries.
Morales was transferred to Central Military Hospitalwhere he was hospitalized for five months. Suffered Burns in 70% of the body And they were practiced 15 reconstructive surgeries. The doctors kept him in an induced coma, with a reserved prognosis.
In his testimony to UnivisionMorales remembered what motivated him not to give up: his son to be born. “When they found me, they tell me that I told them that I was going to get married, that I was going to have a son. I want to meet my son,” he said. The baby was born in November of that same year, a few days after Morales received the medical discharge in October.
The then president Enrique Peña Nieto awarded him with him First -class police merit for its courage and resistance. A viral image captured the moment when the president greeted him publicly, recognizing his role in one of the most significant events of fighting drug trafficking during his six -year period.
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