David Barron Corona

David "Popeye" Barron Corona was a member of the Barrio Logan Heights gang and later the Mexican Mafia (La Eme) prison gang who committed his first murder at the age of 16. Convicted of murder, Barron Corona was sent to prison. In 1989, he got out of prison and soon thereafter began working as a bodyguard and hitman for the Arellano-Felix brothers of the Tijuana Cartel (AFO). While in Mexico, he was trained in paramilitary tactics by the Tijuana Cartel, which included heavy weapons training. This training helped to make Barron Corona highly proficient in the crimes of kidnapping and murder. Barron successfully recruited dozens of San Diego gang members to cross the border to work for him and the AFO as kidnappers and hitmen. Barron Corona was personally recruited when the Tijuana Cartel were waging a war with their hated rivals, the Sinaloa Cartel, led by Joaquin "Chapo" Guzman. The beef stemmed from who would control the drug smuggling routes from Tijuana to the border city of San Diego, California. On November 8, 1992 the rival Sinaloa Cartel struck out against the Tijuana Cartel at the discotec "Christine" in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico. Eight Tijuana Cartel members were killed in the shootout but the Arellano-Félix brothers successfully escaped from the location with the assistance of Barron.[2]

In retaliation, the Tijuana Cartel with the assistance of Barron Corona attempted to set up Guzmán at a Guadalajara airport on May 24, 1993. In the shootout that followed, six civilians were killed by the hired gunmen from the Logan Heights Gang.[2] The deaths included that of Roman Catholic Cardinal Juan Jesús Posadas Ocampo. The church hierarchy originally believed Ocampo was targeted as revenge for his strong stance against the drug trade. Mexican officials, however believe Ocampo just happened to be a victim of mistaken identity.[3][4][5] The Cardinal arrived at the airport in a white Mercury Grand Marquis town car, known to be popular amongst drug barons, making it a possible target. Intelligence received by Barron was that Guzmán would be arriving in a white Mercury Grand Marquis town car.[3][4][5] This explanation, however, is often met with skepticism due to Ocampo's dress (he was wearing a long black cassock and large pectoral cross), as well as his dissimilar appearance to Guzmán and the fact he was gunned down from only two feet away.[2]

Barron Corona was killed on November 27, 1997 in Tijuana, Baja California during the attempted assassination of journalist Jesus Blancornelas.[6] It is believed a bullet fired by one of his own henchmen ricocheted into Barron Corona's eye, killing him instantly.[7]