López Salinas eventually joined the Beltrán-Leyva Cartel, a criminal group that arose from the remnants of the Sinaloa Cartel, and became one of its senior members. In 2015, law enforcement agencies identified him as the head of the cartel in Monterrey and San Pedro Garza García. On 4 September 2018, gunmen kidnapped López Salinas in San Pedro Garza García; his corpse was found a few days later, bearing visible signs of torture. His assassins left a sign at the crime scene warning other cartel members that they would be killed if they did not surrender. Investigators suspect he was murdered by members of his own cartel.
