Dutch drug trafficker killed near Mexico City
Marco Ebben, a Dutch drug trafficker and one of Europe’s most wanted criminals, has been murdered in Mexico, an official confirmed on Friday.
The 32-year-old fugitive was shot dead on Thursday in Atizapan de Zaragoza, a municipality 25 kilometers (15 miles) from Mexico City.
Experts confirmed Ebben’s identity, according to an official at the state prosecutor’s office, who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity.
Europol listed Marco Ebben as a top fugitive
The European law enforcement agency Europol had listed Ebben as one of Europe’s “most wanted fugitives” for smuggling drugs from Brazil to the Netherlands.
According to Europol’s website, Ebben was sentenced in October 2020 to more than seven years in prison.
Between 2014 and 2015, he and his accomplices allegedly smuggled 400 kilos of cocaine hidden in containers filled with pineapples.
Marco Ebben faked his death to evade capture
To avoid arrest, Ebben reportedly faked his own death last October in Culiacan, a stronghold of the Sinaloa Cartel.
His fake death occurred amid a violent turf war between two factions of the cartel following the arrest of co-founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada in July 2024.
Local media previously linked Marco Ebben to one of the factions, though no physical evidence of his death was ever found—only a statement from an alleged girlfriend claiming to have recognized his body.
Mexican authorities continue crackdown on cartel members
On Friday, Mexican authorities also arrested a suspected Sinaloa Cartel drug trafficker operating in Chihuahua, who was wanted by the United States.
Local media identified the suspect as Humberto Rivera, also known as “El Chato,” “El Don,” or “El Viejon.”
Ebben’s murder adds to the ongoing violence within the cartel as authorities continue their crackdown on organized crime in Mexico.
