Atanasio Torres Acosta was the son of suspected Mexican drug lord Manuel Torres Felix. Antanasio was shot dead in April 2008 in Culiacan, Sinaloa. His father was also known as El M1 or El Ondeado and was a leader of a cell within the Sinaloa Cartel. Torres began working for the Sinaloa Cartel in the ’90s and oversaw drug trafficking shipments from South America into Mexico. Following his son’s murder, Torres went on a killing spree, torturing perpetrators at his Culiacan home, thus earning the name El Ondeado (The Crazy One).
Please keep reading to learn more about Atanasio and his family.
Atanasio Torres Acosta Bio
Atanasio was born to the Mexican drug trafficker Torres Felix on 5 July 1987. When he was just 20, Atanasio met his untimely death when he was shot on 18 April 2008 in Culiacan. He was murdered by the rival members of the Beltran-Leyva Cartel in an ambush attack. During the attack, his younger sister Alondra (aged four at the time) was also shot and lost her arm. Atanasio’s father’s sister-in-law was also injured. The shooters left a written message at the crime scene directed to Torres on behalf of Arturo Beltran Leyva. The message read: “On behalf of your friend and his nephews Los Zetas. So you can understand, Manuel Torres.”
Following Atanasio’s death, his father reportedly went crazy and swore revenge on those involved by torturing them in his home. Atanasio’s murder marked the beginning of the cartel war in Sinaloa. Torres also got the name El Ondeado due to the emotional instability that followed the death of Atanasio.
Atanasio Torres Acosta’s Father
Manuel Fidel Torres Felix was born on 28 February 1958 in Llanos del Refugio, Cosala, Sinaloa. He worked for the Sinaloa Cartel from 1990 and ascended to a higher position after his brother Javier Torres Felix was captured in 2004. Torres oversaw drug shipments from South America to the Mexican states of Chiapas and Oaxaca.
In September 2008, the Mexican military located Torres’ safe house, where they confiscated several firearms, narcotics, radio communication equipment, and an armored vehicle. Following the discovery, Torres was placed on the most-wanted drug traffickers list on 1 June 2011.
Torres became one of the most dangerous drug traffickers in Sinaloa, and hundreds of deaths were attributed to the commandos he led. He trafficked drugs for Ismael Zambada Garcia and Joaquin Guzman Loera, Mexico’s most wanted man.
Torres was killed in the early morning of 13 October 2012 in a gunbattle in the community of Oso Viejo in Culiacan, Sinaloa. The military guarded his body to prevent his accomplices from stealing it. They also confiscated several stashes of weapons and ammunition, among other materials. The Mexican army guarded the San Martin funeral house until he was buried in a cemetery outside Culiacan. They also increased their presence in Sinaloa to prevent violent reprisals from organized crime for Torres’ death.
Wrapping Up
Atanasio was executed for his father’s mistakes and way of life, and he barely got the chance to prove whether he was bound to follow in his father’s footsteps.
