How Much Does a Sicario in Juárez Earn?

Juárez Body Count Up to 60 for July 2018

About twenty years ago when I began following violent death in Juárez I was told by a reliable source, corroborated occasionally in news stories, that the price of an ordinary assassination (drug-related or simple revenge) was $500 (US).  Today's Diario de Juárez has a story (click here) about the arrest of four professional assassins yesterday who claim they were earning $2500 per week for their sicario services to the La Linea (Juárez Cartel) drug trafficking organization.  Given the information they provided about their recent work, this does not appear to be a significant rise in the per-unit price of assassination since 1998 on an inflation-adjusted basis.  Read on, this story is interesting.

First, let's meet these hardworking sicarios.  (Since they have not been convicted their surnames are not given in the news story)  Mario Cesar L. R., alias “El Diablito,” (The Little Devil"), age 27.  He and the others were arrested after a 911 call from an eyewitness to a double murder on the corner of Juan Álvarez y Valentín Gómez Farías (a busy intersection), saying the killers had escaped in a red Mustang.  Moments later this car was located, and stopped by police.  "The Little Devil" was carrying a 9-mm firearm loaded with 5 rounds and 7 tins of marijuana.

Edgar Francisco R. D. alias “El Jipers" (jeepers) or "El Chore,” age 23, was carrying several tins of marijuana, as was Juan Antonio C. M., alias “El Toño,” age 35.

Juan de Dios P. B., 19, alias  was carrying a 9-mm pistol loaded with 13 rounds and 5 tins of marijuana.

The police interrogation of these suspects was apparently fruitful, and it would probably be best not to inquire too deeply into the interrogation techniques used.  But as in the US, torture is not officially condoned.  

They confessed to the killing and dismembering of a man on July 5, placing his body parts in black plastic garbage bags in the Colonia Obrera.  They confessed to killing a man in Anapra on July 6.

They confessed to killing four persons outside a hamburger stand on the corner of Altamirano and Juan José Méndez in Col Mariano Escobedo on June 26.  

They confessed to killing a man they left "encobijado" (wrapped in a blanket) in an arroyo of sewer water on June 23 in the Col. Sara Lugo.

They confessed to killing two men on July 11 at the corner of Juan Álvarez and Valentín Gómez Farías, an act which led to their capture a few minutes later.  

They also confessed to other murders, the details of which were not reported in Diario.

By my count this is 9 units of confessed assassination in 18 days;  at $500 per dead body this would amount to $4500.  At $2500 per week, pro-rated per day, this would amount to about $5714, or $635 per assassination.  Adjusted for inflation this would be about the same price per hit, in purchasing power..  Of course, just three more bodies in the past couple of weeks would bring the per-unit price per body down below the inflation-adjusted rate.  But on the other hand, at a weekly salary you get paid even if you have a very slow week and there are probably all kinds of seasonal adjustments to the demand curve for sicario services that would have to be factored in to a solid comparative analysis of sicario compensation in Juárez in the past twenty years.  But this preliminary take suggests the wage rate for sicarios has not gone up in twenty years.  Collective bargaining, anyone?