Europol Fugitive Marco Ebben Shot Dead in Mexico

Gunfire Erupts in Atizapán, Mexico, Killing Europol Fugitive

On February 13, a deadly shootout broke out near La Antigua Plaza, close to the Mexiquense National Airport Dr. Jorge Jiménez Cantú in Atizapán de Zaragoza, State of Mexico. Authorities confirmed that the incident resulted in the death of one individual, later identified as Marco Ebben, a fugitive wanted by Europol.

Eyewitnesses reported that gunfire erupted just before noon, targeting the occupants of a vehicle near the entrance of an apartment complex.

Who Was Marco Ebben?

Marco Ebben, a 33-year-old Dutch national, was a high-profile drug trafficker born on March 31, 1992. Alongside his father, Henk Ebben, he led the criminal organization «Rainforest», which specialized in trafficking hashish and methamphetamines into the United Kingdom.

Ebben’s operation was notorious for smuggling drugs hidden in counterfeit branded T-shirts and shipments of Russian-made detergents.

A Criminal Empire Built on Drug Trafficking

In October 2020, Europol filed charges against Marco Ebben, leading to a 7-year and 4-month prison sentence for his involvement in drug trafficking. One of his most infamous operations included smuggling 400 kilograms of cocaine from Brazil to the Netherlands by concealing the drugs in pineapple containers between 2014 and 2015.

Despite his conviction, Ebben managed to evade authorities, becoming one of Europol’s most wanted fugitives.

Fake DEA Credentials Discovered

After the fatal shooting in Atizapán, authorities discovered that Marco Ebben was carrying a fake DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) ID, under the name Jesús Antonio Velásquez Rivas. Alongside it, a fraudulent Mexican voter ID (INE) issued in 2023 was also found, suggesting that Ebben had been operating in Mexico under an alias.

Conflicting Reports on His Whereabouts

Before his confirmed death in Mexico, Dutch media outlet De Telegraaf had reported that Marco Ebben had been killed in Culiacán, Sinaloa, while allegedly supporting a Sinaloa Cartel faction led by “La Mayiza” in an internal power struggle. However, this claim was later debunked.With Ebben’s confirmed death in Atizapán, investigators are now examining his connections to Mexican drug cartels, suspecting that he may have been expanding his criminal empire into Latin America.