Rubén Zuno Arce was a Mexican socialite and businessman, who served as the bridge between the Mexican government and the Guadalajara cartel.
In the early 1980s, Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo paid Zuno $1 million for an introduction to Zuno's uncle, who was a powerful figure in the Mexican government. His uncle offered political protection to the Guadalajara Cartel, allowing it to smuggle cocaine into the United States.
Zuno warned Félix about a military raid on the Rancho Búfalo marijuana plantation moments before it took place. The military were successful in destroying the farm, causing losses up to $8 billion for Rafael Caro Quintero. He met up with Félix after the raid, and conveyed his uncle's order to abduct the DEA agent responsible for the raid, which Félix declined to execute. Despite Zuno's objections, Félix directly met Zuno's uncle and convinced him to not risk the business for one American agent.
In January 1986, he attended Félix's fortieth birthday party. In that same year, he was arrested by the United States Border Patrol and revealed to the DEA that he owned the mansion where Kiki Camarena was interrogated, tortured, and murdered. And that his uncle provided protection to Félix Gallardo. However, he denied that he knew Félix Gallardo in front of a grand jury.
Historical accuracy[]
In real-life, Zuno was more involved in cartel affairs. He owned the mansion at 811 Lope de Vega before selling it to Rafael Caro Quintero, who had DEA Special Agent Enrique Camarena Salazar and his pilot Alfredo Zavala Avelar tortured and killed there. He was arrested by officials soon after Camarena's murder, and was extradited to the United States, where he was found guilty of Camarena's murder, and was sentenced to life imprisonment. He died in 2012 of natural causes while imprisoned.