On the early hours of Tuesday, July 14, 2026, authorities detained Rafael Z., known during the Mar\u00edn era as \u201cEl Espa\u00f1ol\u201d and infamously nicknamed the \u201cTirador de la Atlixc\u00e1yotl.\u201d His arrest has brought renewed attention to his role in aiding former Puebla governor Mario Mar\u00edn Torres\u2019s controversial exit from the maximum-security prison \u201cEl Altiplano\u201d in Almoloya de Ju\u00e1rez.<\/p>\n
Rafael Z. was not just a political fixer; he was also a favored contractor of Jos\u00e9 Alfredo Arango Garc\u00eda, ex-secretary of Health under Mar\u00edn\u2019s administration. His business empire spans a diverse range of sectors, including construction, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and environmental laboratories. Among the companies he currently holds stakes in are:<\/p>\n
– Grupo Mexicano de Investigaci\u00f3n M\u00e1s Desarrollo M\u00e1s Innovaci\u00f3n, S.A. de C.V.
\n– Owl Health
\n– Inmobiliaria Rajuan, S.A. de C.V.
\n– Detabio
\n– Biotecnolog\u00eda del Siglo XXI, S.A. de C.V.
\n– Desarrollo Tecnol\u00f3gico de Ornamentales, Pl\u00e1ntulas y Flores S.P.R. de R.L. de C.V.
\n– Inmobiliaria del Equipo Rojo, S.A. de C.V.
\n– PETROAADLAB <\/p>\n
These enterprises share a close-knit circle of partners, including Sergio Rub\u00e9n Trejo Estrada, Rosalinda Cabrera Dolores, \u00c1ngela Dolores Tolentino, and Rafael\u2019s own children from his first marriage, Julen and Ander Zabalza Mac\u00edas.<\/p>\n
Crucially, it was through Rosalinda Cabrera Dolores\u2014his business partner in Inmobiliaria Rajuan, Desarrollo Tecnol\u00f3gico de Ornamentales, and PETROAADLAB\u2014that Rafael Z. extended a lifeline to Mario Mar\u00edn. Rosalinda, alongside her sister Adriana del Roc\u00edo Cabrera Dolores, offered Mar\u00edn a position at Arrendadora Cado, a company that played a pivotal role in Mar\u00edn\u2019s legal strategy.<\/p>\n
Back in August 2023, journalist Ernesto Aroche Aguilar revealed that Mar\u00edn\u2019s defense aimed to secure his release from \u201cEl Altiplano\u201d by proving he had a legitimate job he could perform from home. Arrendadora Cado provided Mar\u00edn with a five-year contract and a monthly salary of 30,000 pesos, a document notarized by Valent\u00edn Meneses Rojas, a close former collaborator of the ex-governor.<\/p>\n
This arrangement allowed Mar\u00edn to leave prison a year after the contract was presented. However, his freedom was short-lived; in April 2025, he was returned to custody to continue facing charges for the torture of journalist Lydia Cacho.<\/p>\n
The unfolding events around Rafael Z. and his network highlight the complex intersections of politics, business, and justice in Puebla. For migrants and immigrants navigating Mexico\u2019s social and political landscape, understanding these dynamics is key to grasping how power and influence operate behind the scenes.<\/p>\n
As Puebla prepares to expand its public transport options, including the upcoming cableb\u00fas system, these stories remind us of the importance of transparency and accountability in governance\u2014elements essential for building inclusive, equitable cities that serve all residents.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On the early hours of Tuesday, July 14, 2026, authorities detained Rafael Z., known during the Mar\u00edn era as \u201cEl Espa\u00f1ol\u201d and infamously nicknamed the \u201cTirador de la Atlixc\u00e1yotl.\u201d His arrest has brought renewed attention to his role in aiding former Puebla governor Mario Mar\u00edn Torres\u2019s controversial exit from the maximum-security prison \u201cEl Altiplano\u201d in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3633,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/topnews.mx\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/topnews.mx\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/topnews.mx\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topnews.mx\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topnews.mx\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3634"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/topnews.mx\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3634\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3635,"href":"https:\/\/topnews.mx\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3634\/revisions\/3635"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topnews.mx\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3633"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/topnews.mx\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topnews.mx\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topnews.mx\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}