A trio of twisted Sinaloa cartel members has been busted for allegedly enlisting two Los Angeles teenagers to carry out a hit on a rival gang member at a Chili’s restaurant for $50,000 each.
Prosecutors said three SoCal men — 30-year-old Poly Antunez, 27-year-old Antonio Quinones, and 20-year-old Jovanny Enriquez — promised the two 15-year-old deviants and, later, a 28-year-old accomplice the handsome reward to rub out the victim.
However, the bumbling teens, who were recruited under the belief that they wouldn’t be charged as adults if caught, failed to kill their mark all three times, including at the Chili’s Chula Vista.
US Attorney for the Southern District of California Adam Gordon mocked the men for hiring the teens.
“You want cowardice. I give you the Sinaloa Cartel hiring teenagers to do their dirty work,” he said.
Authorities charged the teens, members of the Mexican Mafia-affiliated as adults — and they pleaded guilty to murder and attempted murder charges in December.
The cartel target was chosen because of the previous war between the Sinaloa Cartel and the Cartel Arellano Felix over a stolen drug shipment.
The teens tried to shoot and kill the victim at the Chili’s but their gun jammed, and they unsuccessfully tried to run over the victim with their car. The pair also went to the target’s home in Tijuana to finish the job, but he wasn’t there. The third attempt came when the teens, their friends and the family of the victim later got into a shoot-out at the victim’s home, which killed an older accomplice.
Enriquez bragged about what he would buy with his share of the money in a group chat with local gang members, Nunez and Quintero.
The target survived.
“We all getting new cars new chains new toys,” he said.
An unnamed gang member asked, “U guys hitmans now or what.”
Quintero answered: “Basically.”
The three cartel associates are charged with conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, attempted murder in aid of racketeering, assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, conspiracy to commit murder for hire, and use of interstate facilities in commission of murder for hire.
