What’s in a nickname? Plenty, if you’re a Mexican drug trafficker
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They’re known by such appellations as ‘Barbie,’ ‘Smurf’ and ‘Bunny Commander.’ But there’s nothing warm and fuzzy about the men who’ve reportedly adopted these nicknames.
They are some of Mexico’s biggest drug traffickers and hit men, according to this story from the Associated Press.
According to AP’s Mexico City correspondent:
Mexican drug traffickers’ nicknames run from flashy and threatening to surreal and downright goofy. Some reflect a thug’s rank in his cartel, others simply a school yard taunt that stuck. Still others denote a reputation, such as the cartel leader known as ‘El Mas Loco’ -- ‘the Craziest One.’ . . .
Law enforcement officials say they list as many aliases as they can for each suspect -- sometimes as many as a half-dozen -- because individual nicknames are often used by more than one person. For instance, several drug suspects are known as ‘El Gordo’ -- ‘Fatty.’
-- Reed Johnson in Los Angeles
