The Brutal Tale of Mexico's Most Infamous Kidnapper: Daniel Arizmendi López

In central Mexico, a vicious gang of kidnappers led by former police officer Daniel Arizmendi López targeted wealthy and high-profile individuals for abduction and torture

Depiction of Daniel Arizmendi López

It was just another sweltering summer afternoon in central Mexico when Raul Nieto del Rio met Santa Muerte.

Nieto knew what was at risk from the moment he set foot outside that day. He was the son of a wealthy businessman, and in the summer of 1998, Mexico was deep in the throes of a crime wave that seemed to be targeting high-profile individuals like the Nieto family.

Like many of Mexico’s wealthiest citizens and the handful of foreign tourists still in the country, he’d taken the best precautions that he could: using armed bodyguards and armored vehicles.

But it wasn’t enough.

As Nieto and his guards traveled through the wide-open roads of Queretaro, armored trucks suddenly swerved into their path, blocking the road from all sides.

Before anyone could react, the driver and bodyguards had been slaughtered, leaving Nieto defenseless.