Social media is the downfall of many people, including those doing criminal things. In recent history the general public has seen many people meet their demise while seeking the rush of social media clout. This trend held true in the case of a man named Marco Santillan Jr., and his family.
Man Brags About Selling Guns to Cartel boss El Mencho on Facebook Then Gets Arrested Shortly After
This situation started back in May 2020 when the son of weapon trafficking organization boss decided to reveal intricate details on about his dad’s operation on social media. The 29 year old Marco Santillan Jr. bragged about selling guns to cartel boss El Mencho who runs the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). Little did he know it would lead to the downfall of his father Marco Santillan Sr’s operation.
The first mistake was when Marco Santillan Jr. sent a video to a friend over Facebook messenger where he showed over 50 guns while using secret language to tell them they were being shipped to Mexico. The second mistake came in another Facebook messenger video where Marco Santillan Jr. explicitly stated that “El Mencho’s Cartel was buying everything”. The third mistake came in another Facebook messenger video where he flashed a large amount of money while bragging about how lucrative selling guns to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel was.
Surprisingly Marco Santillan Jr. didn’t realize that on a place like Facebook the FEDS are always watching, it’s not just a rap line. This week FEDS announced charges against his dad’s weapon smuggling operation, claiming to have evidence that Marco Santillan Sr. was selling weapons purchased from various states in the United States, then smuggling them to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). The major piece of evidence they cited were the videos of from his son Marco Santillan Jr. bragging about selling guns to the Cartel on Facebook.
Marco Santillan Jr., his dad, and two other men were arrested in connection with the charges. Theoretically speaking if his son had kept a low profile they probably would have never been discovered by the FBI and other authorities.
This is a perfect example of when keeping it social media goes wrong.
