Who Is Carlos Muñoz Portal? 'Narcos' Locations Manager Shot To Death In Mexico

The locations manager for the popular Netflix series, “Narcos,” was found dead in a rural area in of Mexico, local media reports said Saturday.

The bullet-riddled body of the manager, Carlos Muñoz Portal, was found Monday in a remote area near the borders of Hidalgo state, an area infamous for having the highest murder rate in the country. His car was also recovered from the crime scene. However, it has been reported the authorities are having a hard time piecing together the details to find out the motive behind the alleged murder.

According to his IMDb page, Muñoz was a seasoned scout. His name appeared in the credits of many prolific movies such as “Sicario,” “Spectre,” “Fast & Furious” and “Apocalypto.” He also worked in the camera and electrical department for several Mexican films and American TV series such as “Persons Unknown.”

Mexican newspaper El Pais said Muñoz was a native of Puebla and graduated from the University of the Americas with a communications degree. During his first job, which he got in 2003, he scouted for locations for the film “Man on Fire,” that starred Denzel Washington. It was shot by director Tony Scott.

The manager was working for the American Netflix series "Narcos," which in its initial seasons talked about the rise of the cocaine trade in Colombia and captured gripping real-life stories of drug kingpins of the late '80s. Season 4 of the series moves from Colombia to Mexico and centers on the Juarez cartel — an organization headed by Amado Carrillo — said the Hollywood Reporter.

According to El Pais, his friend said Muñoz got into his car and drove to the State of Mexico on the day of the alleged killing to take some photographs. The 37-year-old was found dead in his car hours after he had suffered multiple gunshot wounds. The friend, whose name was not revealed, also speculated the presence of a foreigner with a camera was probably uncomfortable for the inhabitants. "Maybe they thought he was collecting information and they started tracking him in a car," he was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, Netflix issued a brief statement after news of the manager’s alleged assassination spread. "We are aware of the death of Carlos Muñoz Portal, a respected location manager, and offer our condolences to his relatives. The facts are still unknown as authorities continue to investigate what happened,” the statement read.

Several other incidents of violence on film sets, particularly involving drug cartels, have been reported earlier in Mexico. In 2016, the crew of an Alfonso Cuarón film was assaulted and robbed in downtown Mexico City.

El Pais said some professionals of the Mexican film industry were worried the location manager's death would drive Netflix productions, which is a source for hundreds of jobs, away from Mexico.