Carlos Manuel "El Condor" Hoo Ramírez (born 15 October 1978) was a high-ranking leader of the Sinaloa Cartel who served as El Chapo's communications chief and personal bodyguard until the two men's capture by the Mexican Navy on 22 February 2014.
Biography[]
Carlos Manuel Hoo Ramírez was born in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico on 15 October 1978, and he joined the Mexican Army in 1997, serving as an elite special forces operative in Culiacan. He retired in 2000 due to family issues, and he was recruited into the Sinaloa Cartel shortly after El Chapo's escape from prison in 2001. He quickly rose to be a member of El Chapo's inner circle, and, as he was well-versed in high tech, he became El Chapo's communications chief; he was nicknamed "El Condor". He became El Chapo's personal assistant and bodyguard, and, on 17 February 2014, El Chapo and El Condor narrowly evaded the Mexican Navy in Culiacan. On 20 February, Hoo Ramirez turned his cellphone on to contact one of his aides, and the authorities tracked him down to Mazatlan. He was tracked down to the Hotel Miramar, and he surrendered without a fight; El Chapo was found in one of the adjoining bedrooms, and he was arrested as well.