The Santa Elena raid was a joint FBI-Mexican Federal Police operation which occurred in the Mexican village of Santa Elena, Chihuahua on 24 April 1987 amid Operation Leyenda. The FBI, against the wishes of the DEA task force led by Walt Breslin, aimed to kill Acosta rather than allow for him to become an informant, and he ultimately died in the ensuing shootout.
Background[]
In 1987, Juarez plaza boss Pablo Acosta Villarreal - motivated by his rivalry with Guadalajara Cartel boss Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo - decided to do an interview with an El Paso-based American newspaper detailing Miguel Angel's criminal operations and his betrayal of his friends. He also reached out to DEA agent Walt Breslin and was offered immunity and other rewards, but the publication of the interview attracted negative attention from the Guadalajara Cartel, the Mexican government, and the American FBI, and FBI agents Rick Sacks and Mark Wheeler were sent to gather information about Acosta and track him down. The FBI coordinated a joint operation with the Mexican Federal Police to take down Acosta, so Acosta relocated to the village of Santa Elena in Chihuahua, which had only one road leading into town, and which was easily defensible against any Guadalajara hit squad.
Raid[]
The nighttime siege of Santa Elena
On 24 April 1987, Acosta held a party in Santa Elena, attracting the attention of law enforcement; DFS commander Juan Jose Esparragoza Moreno relayed this news to Felix Gallardo. Agent Breslin was taken to Santa Elena by Acosta's girlfriend Mimi Webb Miller with the goal of protecting Acosta and ensuring that he could become a protected informant in America, but his warning for Acosta to leave immediately came too late. Two Mexican Federal Police helicopters flew over the town, with the two FBI agents riding aboard one of the helicopters. While the FBI agents initially ordered that only those with guns should be shot, the helicopters gunned down several civilians in the crossfire, including the local priest, who was ringing the alarm bell to alert the cartel members. The helicopters were then joined by several Federal Police squad cars led by Commander Guillermo Calderoni, who was forced to kill Acosta in order to "prove" his loyalty to Guadalajara boss Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo. Calderoni rejected Breslin's pleas to spare Acosta, as he figured that Acosta's death would let him get closer to Felix and gather more intelligence. Acosta refused to come out, and the siege continued past nightfall. After Acosta and his men opened fire on Calderoni and his policemen, Breslin took advantage of the situation to rush into the building as a negotiator, and he told Acosta that his girlfriend was pregnant, and tried to convince him to come across the border with him and accept a plea bargain in Houston. Breslin served as a human shield for Acosta while escorting him out, holding a signed document from the US Attorney in Houston to discourage Calderoni and his men from shooting him. However, Calderoni raised his gun and ordered Breslin to stand down, as he was on Mexican soil. Sensing that his end was near, Acosta apologized to Breslin, stole Breslin's gun, shoved him to the ground, and was then gunned down by the Federales and FBI agents. Over 1,000 people would attend his funeral.
Gallery[]
