![]() ![]() There had been a wrestler who went by Imagen at Cine El Rey, but his name was Imagen II, a name he says he took in honor of his deceased brother. ![]() In the end, the operation boiled down to a case of mistaken identity. Eventually, the FBI confirmed that its target had not even been at the theater that night. That evening, the FBI’s target had been a drug trafficker who moonlighted as a luchador, hidden by his mask and the stage name Imagen III. As it happened, the reason was not a cross-border immigration infraction but the ongoing war against Mexican drug cartels. ICE denied involvement, forcing an FBI spokesperson to blame the initial version of the story on a miscommunication within the Bureau. Officially, the FBI was there in support of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to apprehend an individual wanted on an “immigration violation.” But as the overwhelming show of force suggested, the raid had bigger stakes. Making their way to the dressing rooms, they arrested six luchadors-masked wrestlers of the Mexican sport of lucha libre-who had come north to perform in a showcase. Working with local SWAT officers and an air support helicopter from the Texas Department of Public Safety, agents stormed the Cine El Rey, a historic downtown theater. It was April 2013 and the FBI had a unique lineup on their hands. In a twisted parallel to the country’s long tradition of masked luchadors, Mexico’s cartel leaders have carved out their own traditions of anonymity. ![]()
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