Sunshine Antonio Rodríguez Peña, a fishing leader and a cooperative leader in the port of San Felipe, was murdered after noon on Saturday, March 8, on the streets of the city of Mexicali, Baja California.
The attack against Sunshine Rodríguez took place at the intersection of Río Presidio and Víctor Rosales streets, in the Independencia neighborhood. Based on information from the media outlet Zeta Tijuana, about four hooded men with weapons arrived at the scene in a white pickup truck and shot him directly.
The body of the fishing leader was left lying on the street, while the alleged attackers managed to flee in the car in which they were traveling to commit the crime. After this, witnesses in the area made the report to 911 and police elements were mobilized to deal with the situation.
The businessman was active on social media before the shooting
The shock over the murder of the marine businessman spread even more when it was learned that he had spread on his social media that he would start the annual sale of fish and seafood, an activity that he carried out to support his economic situation.
” (…) Here we are in (the streets) Río Presidio and Víctor Rosales. And tomorrow, I have just been informed, it is a fact that we are in Santa Isabel, friends. Tomorrow it is a fact that we are in Santa Isabel (…) and on Monday we will be in La Robledo,” he told his followers and clients on his Facebook profile.
So far, a security operation has been deployed to capture the quartet of alleged hitmen in the Baja California capital. Meanwhile, the state governor, Marina del Pilar Ávila, has spoken out to condemn the acts:
“In relation to the attack that took the life of Sunshine Antonio Rodríguez Peña, a fishing leader from the port of San Felipe, I inform you that from my responsibility at the head of the State Government, I firmly reiterate: there will be no impunity,” reads a message posted on her official X account.
In addition to this, the governor promised to provide the state prosecutor’s office with all the tools and facilities to deal with the case:
“We have asked the State Attorney General’s Office to clarify this incident. The Attorney General (sic) Elena Andrade will have the facilities she needs from the State Secretariat of Citizen Security as part of the investigation,” she said.
Sunshine Rodríguez: captured and acquitted for the Cartel del Mar’s totoaba trafficking
Rodríguez Peña was arrested in November 2020 by the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) and remained in preventive detention for more than two years. In February 2023, a federal judge in Hermosillo, Sonora, determined his innocence, considering that the FGR did not present conclusive evidence to support the accusations against him.
The renowned fishing leader from San Felipe was acquitted after being accused of leading the Cartel del Mar, an organization allegedly dedicated to the illegal trafficking of totoaba in the Gulf of California. This endangered species is highly valued in the Asian market for its swim bladder, known as “buche”, which reaches prices of up to 55 thousand dollars per kilogram.
The decision generated a variety of reactions. While his mother, Carolina Peña, welcomed the ruling and said that her son was the victim of unfounded accusations, environmental groups expressed concern about the implications this could have on marine species conservation efforts.
After his release, Rodríguez Peña resumed his role as an advocate for the rights of local fishermen. He also dedicated himself to promoting sustainable practices in San Felipe and the Gulf of California.
Source: infobae
