Barrَn was soon wanted on both sides of the border for a number of brutal crimes. According to San Diego police, Barrَn recruited Logan 30s street gang members as gatilleros (hired killers) for the Arellanos. Years later, indictments filed by U.S. Attorneys in San Diego would state that Barrَn enlisted “henchmen from among Logan Heights gang members ... who were then directed to murder and kidnap rivals in order to secure and maintain the Arellanos’ control over drug trafficking along the border.” Barrَn and associates were also wanted for the killings of two federal prosecutors and, most notably, for the assassination of Cardinal Juan Jesْs Posadas-Ocampo on May 24, 1993 in Guadalajara.
The killing of the cardinal, a crime that shocked the world and turned a harsh media spotlight on the Mexican cartels, was actually a mistake. According to accounts later obtained by authorities, Barrَn and his San Diego Logan 30s henchmen—along with Ramَn Arellano-Félix himself—were at the Guadalajara airport to kill rival Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquيn “El Chapo” Guzmلn-Loera. The cardinal, sitting in a car in front of Guzmلn’s armored Buick, was mistaken for the crime boss. The gang opened fire, killing the cardinal, his driver and six others in a hail of bullets.
The attempt on Guzmلn-Loera was believed to be in retaliation for an attempted 1993 hit on Ramَn and Javier Arellano-Félix at the disco Christine in Puerto Vallarta. Guzman had sent 40 gunmen into the nightclub, where the Arellano brothers were having a party. Nine people died in the wild shootout that ensued. Davيd Barrَn reportedly killed a number of Guzman’s henchmen before saving the Arellanos by spiriting them away.