Cienfuegos – nicknamed El Padrino, or The Godfather was a powerful figure. | Cienfuegos used his office to protect a faction of the Beltran-Leyva cartel, directing operations against rival gangs and even finding maritime transport to ship drugs. He accepted bribes in return for protection that included warning cartel members about investigations. One of the Beltran-Leyva brothers was killed in 2009, another arrested in 2014. By the time of Cienfuegos’ crimes between 2015 and 2017, the gang had a new leader, Juan Francisco Patron. |  |