BajaNomad

Controversial San Felipe Fishing Co-op Leader Murdered

wilderone - 3-9-2025 at 10:50 AM

March 8, 2025
"Fishing leader Sunshine Rodriguez shot dead in Mexicali
Sunshine Antonio Rodriguez Peña, a fisherman from Baja California, was killed at noon this Saturday, March 8 in Mexicali.
According to unofficial reports, the murder occurred shortly after noon at the intersection of Rio Presidio and Victor Rosales streets in the independence colony of Mexicali, where he was selling fishing products.
The report from various news portals and social networks indicates that at least four hooded men arrived at the scene where Rodriguez was aboard a white pick-up.
Immediately they shot at the victim several times to leave him dead in the place and escape with an unknown direction.
Sunshine Antonio Rodriguez was the leader of the Federation of Shore Fishing Cooperatives for more than three years, arrested twice by the federal government.
The first in 2017 for alleged drug trafficking, a fact that was always denied and later led to his release. ...."

(From a 2021 Species Survival Commission communication): "We note that, in November of 2020, Mr. Sunshine Antonio Rodriguez Peña, a well known fishermen representative from San Felipe, Baja California, and seven others were taken into custody on charges of racketeering and organized crime related to totoaba trafficking. For years, Mr. Rodriguez Peña had posted regularly on Facebook documenting his and others’ illegal use of gillnets to catch shrimp, sierra, and curvina near San Felipe, which is prohibited under the new regulations. In December 2020, it was reported that President López Obrador had instructed the Secretary of the Navy, Admiral José Rafael Ojeda Durán, to review Mr. Rodriguez Peña’s case.46 While we applaud this long-overdue enforcement action, high levels of illegal fishing continue, and much more enforcement is needed."

Udo - 3-9-2025 at 12:55 PM

THank you for the post, wilderone.
Quote: Originally posted by wilderone  
March 8, 2025
"Fishing leader Sunshine Rodriguez shot dead in Mexicali
Sunshine Antonio Rodriguez Peña, a fisherman from Baja California, was killed at noon this Saturday, March 8 in Mexicali.
According to unofficial reports, the murder occurred shortly after noon at the intersection of Rio Presidio and Victor Rosales streets in the independence colony of Mexicali, where he was selling fishing products.
The report from various news portals and social networks indicates that at least four hooded men arrived at the scene where Rodriguez was aboard a white pick-up.
Immediately they shot at the victim several times to leave him dead in the place and escape with an unknown direction.
Sunshine Antonio Rodriguez was the leader of the Federation of Shore Fishing Cooperatives for more than three years, arrested twice by the federal government.
The first in 2017 for alleged drug trafficking, a fact that was always denied and later led to his release. ...."

(From a 2021 Species Survival Commission communication): "We note that, in November of 2020, Mr. Sunshine Antonio Rodriguez Peña, a well known fishermen representative from San Felipe, Baja California, and seven others were taken into custody on charges of racketeering and organized crime related to totoaba trafficking. For years, Mr. Rodriguez Peña had posted regularly on Facebook documenting his and others’ illegal use of gillnets to catch shrimp, sierra, and curvina near San Felipe, which is prohibited under the new regulations. In December 2020, it was reported that President López Obrador had instructed the Secretary of the Navy, Admiral José Rafael Ojeda Durán, to review Mr. Rodriguez Peña’s case.46 While we applaud this long-overdue enforcement action, high levels of illegal fishing continue, and much more enforcement is needed."

surfhat - 3-9-2025 at 02:05 PM

Let us all hope this disturbing cartel action does not extend to other fishing co-ops on the Baja coast, Pacific, or the Sea of Cortez.

I have been blessed to over fifty years of experiencing Baja at its finest where the locals have been as gracious and welcoming as one could hope for. Salt of the earth always comes to my mind when thinking of my own Baja history.

Recently, I stayed the two last nights of my annual gray whale love fest and so much more, in the Valle de Guadalupe at the Hotel Boutique and their fabulous onsite Fuego Restaurant. It was as I remembered it before the covid disaster came down over four years ago.

Their oysters were the absolute bomb. Raw on the half shell, or the ever so slightly breaded tempura versions melted in my mouth. Years ago, they were serving a similar variety of oysters with a Japanese appellation that are now grown in San Quintin. They were smaller but with a huge flavor.

Their house red wine was the bomb and at $60 or $70/bottle, I would have loved to bring back a bottle home if it was within my pay grade.

I will hopefully entice a few of my wine loving friends to visit the Hotel Boutique and their Fuego Restaurant for themselves.

They have a large organic garden that provides their fresh produce.

Their Caesar Salad was excellent with an addition of kelp to the mix.

I did make a point to stop by Frida's on my way into the Valle, but their receptionist informed me that any of their hotel accommodations could only be made by contacting the Bed and Breakfast website. ????

Is that common in the Valle? I would hope not. Turning away a potential client at the door? How does that make business sense ?

A potential one night stay at Frida's sent me packing. As a Frida fan, once I was at the Hotel Boutique, Frida's became a distant memory.

The Hotel Boutique also has a riding stable onsite. As a non-horse person, I will look forward to that opportunity next time.

Thank you Hotel Boutique for your graciousness in treating me so, graciously, during my recent two day stay.

I hope to experience your unique offerings next time with a few of my fellow wine-loving friends.


The ever expanding choices for the Valle do not make for an easy choice. The Hotel Boutique has me convinced.


Santiago, you have provided some fine reviews of the Valle. Please keep them coming.

Btw. As I was waiting to be served dinner, I walked up the open deck bar and asked if I could have a closer look at some of the bottles on the wall. They allowed to walk behind their bar for a closer look. Thank you.

There was one bottle on the wall that was based on a mild pepper from north central Mexico. The bar tender satisfied my curiosity by pouring me just a smidge of that concoction. No doubt about it being pepper based.

The Hotel Boutique has me convinced to return next time. Mil Gracious for your more than generous treatment during my short stay.











lencho - 3-9-2025 at 03:03 PM

Quote: Originally posted by surfhat  
...their hotel accommodations could only be made by contacting the Bed and Breakfast website.

Was that AirbNb they were talking about?

I've noticed that most accomodations I've taken lately (Yucatán most recently), are wired into the online booking systems (plataformas); some of them exclusively (i.e. no walk-ins). Travel in Mexico is changing.

I went to one place last year where at the reception desk they told me "sorry, our non-platform rooms are all occupied." With their permission I sat in their lobby, booked one of the available on-line rooms with my smartphone, then walked up to the desk and collected my key with big smiles all around.

[Edited on 3-9-2025 by lencho]

surfhat - 3-9-2025 at 06:46 PM

Thanks Lencho, yes it was AirbnB that was given exclusive bookings at Frida's, as much as I could tell from the short discussion I had with the outdoors receptionist.

I had some past disappointments when using a couple of the booking systems and am not in favor of giving them a second chance to make good. One of the major players owes me some renumeration which I will never see. Strike one in my book is more than enough for me to chose otherwise, when possible.

Non-platform rooms? Wow. Thanks Lencho, I needed that designation added to my ever growing vocabulary.

I hope that is not the future for traveling, and that tourists will retain some ability to stop by and ask if a room is available without being told to take a hike or join Airbnb or their kind, on the spot.

Non-platform rooms! Perfect. Grrrr haha



surabi - 3-9-2025 at 08:15 PM

A word of advice when booking through short term rental platforms. Once you have a short list of places you're interested in, take a look at the host's profile page. If you see that they are basically property management companies with dozens, or hundreds of listings, steer clear. You generally won't go wrong if you stick to listings run by small-time hosts who only have one or two listings, with good reviews and 5 star ratings. Airbnb tends to look the other way when it comes to the behavior of "corporate" hosts, letting them get away with things they would delist small-time hosts for- bait and switches, asking for more fees after the fact, poorly maintained properties, lack of communication and responsibly addressing issues guests complain about. The platforms let the big time property management companies get away with stuff because they bring in so much money for the platform in service fees.


[Edited on 3-10-2025 by surabi]

tecatero - 3-10-2025 at 05:27 AM

Sunshine Murdered to Airbnb discussion……..

Udo - 3-10-2025 at 10:29 AM

How did a killing get morphed into a B&B discussion?

lencho - 3-10-2025 at 10:42 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Udo  
How did a killing get morphed into a B&B discussion?
Human conversations tend to fill silence...

If you have additional on-topic info, please post it to get things back on track. :saint:

surfhat - 3-10-2025 at 11:11 AM

Udo, my bad for straying off of this threads murder topic.

I should have started a new thread to share my enthusiasm over my recent experiences at the Hotel Boutique and their Fuego Restaurant.

Whoops, there I go again. I got nothing about any murders. Lets all get back to the murders.

PaulW - 3-10-2025 at 04:32 PM

The body count is bigger that previously reported
36 hours after the fishing leader death in Mexicali 2 more were killed at the exit of San Felipe by 4 bad guys.
5 persons attacked in San Felipe 3 dead
I all happened March 8 & 9th