‘Dog Killer’ Mexican Cartel Boss Gets 135 Years for Casino Attack That Killed 52 People
Posted on: July 15, 2025, 07:31h.
Last updated on: July 15, 2025, 09:14h.
- Sauceda Estrada sentenced for masterminding casino atrocity
- Attack killed 52; victims mostly women trapped inside
- Survivors, families still seek justice 13 years later
A Mexican cartel boss known as “the Dog Killer” has been sentenced to 135 years in prison for his role in orchestrating the 2011 arson attack on Casino Royale in Monterrey, Mexico. The attack killed more than 50 people and remains one of the country’s deadliest cartel-linked atrocities.
Baltasar Sauceda Estrada, aka “El Mataperros,” was identified as a senior member of the notoriously brutal Los Zetas cartel. Last week, the Second District Court for Criminal Proceedings in Matamoros, Mexico, found him guilty of multiple counts, including organized crime, aggravated homicide, arson, and kidnapping.
Prosecutors said Sauceda Estrada ordered the attack in retaliation for the casino owners’ refusal to pay extortion fees. He was also ordered to pay more than 1.2 million pesos (approximately US$68K) in fines and restitution. Five other individuals involved in the attack have each been sentenced to 15 years.
‘Act of Terror’
On Aug. 25, 2011, a group of armed men stormed Casino Royale, doused the building with gasoline, blocked the exits, and set it ablaze. Rescuers had to knock through walls with heavy machinery from a nearby construction site to reach those trapped inside.
The victims, who were mostly women, largely died of smoke inhalation. In total, 52 people were killed in what authorities labelled an act of terror.
Sauceda Estrada was arrested in early 2012 amid a national crackdown on Los Zetas following widespread outrage over the attack. Authorities identified him as one of the “intellectual authors” of the atrocity and a key organizer of the operation.
The trial dragged on for 13 years, delayed by overlapping investigations between agencies, legal battles over alleged torture of the suspects, and retrials sparked by constitutional appeals.
Relatives of the victims gathered outside the courthouse in Matamoros following the verdict. Some carried photographs of loved ones lost in the fire, while others held signs demanding accountability.
Indiscriminate Murder
The Los Zetas cartel was then one of Mexico’s most powerful – and vicious – criminal organizations, notorious for its “shock and awe” tactics, including torture, beheadings, and indiscriminate murder.
The organization has fractured in recent years thanks to infighting and disruption by law enforcement. Nevertheless, survivors and victims’ families continue to demand justice for the crimes committed during its reign.
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