70 |Rolling Stone|RollingStoneAus.com

nahot,humidnightlastaugust,twowealthy

Mexican brothers went out to party in Puerto Vallarta. ¶

Ivan,35,andJesusAlfredoGuzmán,29,hadbeenvaca-

tioningintheresortcityallweek.NowitwasSunday,the

nightbeforeIvan’s36thbirthday,andtheybookedatable

atanupscalerestaurantcalledLaLechetocelebrate.Six

menandninewomenjoinedthemthere–young,attractiveandwell-

dressed,drivingRangeRoversandEscalades–wheretheysatatalong

candlelittableinthecentreoftheall-whiteroom,orderedchampagne

andsang“HappyBirthday”.Threehourslatertheywerewrappingup

theirnightwhen,shortlyaftermidnight,ahalf-dozenmenwithas-

saultriflesburstinandsurroundedthem.¶OnegunmanforcedIvan

tohisknees,thenkickedhimhardintheribs,sendinghimsprawling

tothefloor.JesusAlfredowasalsoheldatgunpoint.Thebrothers

TheBrutalRise

of El Mencho –

hunting

Mexico’s most

dangerous

new Drug Lord

by Josh Eells

illustration by John ritter

Nar o

The next-

Generation

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