Mexican Court Sentences Casino Royale Massacre Mastermind to 135 Years

The Second Federal Criminal Court in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, has convicted Baltasar “El Mataperros” Sauceda Estrada on multiple charges connected to his involvement in the 2011 Monterrey casino massacre, which claimed the lives of 53 people.

El Mataperros Sentenced for Casino Royale Massacre 

The court found Estrada guilty of drug-related crimes and of “illegal deprivation of liberty in the form of kidnapping” involving three victims. The Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) confirmed the verdict, noting that as a member of the Los Zetas cartel, Estrada must also pay a fine exceeding 1.2 million pesos (approximately $68,000) for his role in organized crime and kidnapping.

In addition, the Matamoros court sentenced five other Los Zetas members connected to the attack to 15 years in prison. All the defendants were arrested between 2011 and 2012, and some were already incarcerated when the court issued its ruling this week. These judgments mark a legal conclusion to one of the most harrowing episodes of former President Felipe Calderón’s “War on Drugs.”

What Was the Casino Royale Massacre?

The Casino Royale massacre was one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in modern Mexican history. It occurred on August 25, 2011, in Monterrey, the capital of the northeastern state of Nuevo León. On that afternoon, armed members of the Los Zetas cartel stormed the Casino Royale, a gambling establishment frequented by middle-class patrons. After ordering people to the ground, the attackers doused the building with gasoline and set it on fire, effectively trapping people inside. 

The fire quickly engulfed the structure. Survivors of the tragedy testified that, aside from the main entrance, which the attackers had blocked, four unmarked service doors were locked, and the building’s only designated emergency exit was nonfunctional, concealed by a solid concrete wall.

Authorities later confirmed that the attack was retaliation against the casino’s owners for allegedly refusing to pay extortion money (a “protection fee”) demanded by Los Zetas, one of Mexico’s most violent and powerful drug cartels at the time. The attack drew national and international outrage, and then-President Felipe Calderón condemned the massacre as an act of terrorism. 

The massacre became a symbol of the extreme violence of Mexico’s drug war, especially during the Calderón administration (2006–2012), which launched a militarized offensive against cartels. A memorial on the site of the demolished casino continues to stand as a lasting tribute to the victims of the August 2011 tragedy.