Will Coco's Downward Spiral of Drug Abuse on 'Mayans M.C.' Cause Him to Die?

The FX crime series Mayans M.C. created by Kurt Sutter and Elgin James is the follow-up series to Sons of Anarchy and begins two-and-a-half years after the events of the flagship series. The show centers around the Mayans Motorcycle Club that lives in the fictitious town of Santo Padre. In Season 1, viewers learn the backstory of Coco’s (Richard Cabral) life, a member of the club with an extremely troubled childhood. His mother was a sex worker who battled heavy drug addiction.

Coco ultimately kills his mother in the same season and vows never to be anything like her. However, being shot near the end of Season 2 leaves him injured and blind. The pain from his eye after the shooting leads Coco back to drugs, and he starts taking painkillers. Season 3 is coming to an end, and fans see a glimpse of history repeating itself as Coco becomes the broken parental figure to his daughter, Leticia (Emily Tosta).

Viewers are left with a gigantic cliffhanger at the end of Episode 7 as Mayans M.C. leaves one major character knocking on death’s door. Does Coco die in Season 3?

Over the course of Season 3, viewers have watched Coco become addicted to oxycodone and later meth after a botched attempt at a robbery on Meth Mountain. He ends up being at the mercy of Meth Mountain's major player Isaac (JR Bourne), which leads him to steal heroin from his fellow Mayans. As Coco spends all his free time on Meth Mountain, we've watched him totally succumb to his drug addiction. It's clear that he's fallen deep and that there's no turning back for poor Coco.

Things start to get quite ugly in Episode 7, where Coco gets into a heartbreaking and unpleasant argument with Leticia. She’s irritated with her father’s behavior and lets him know that she’s noticed that some of her possessions have gone missing lately, hinting that her dad took them to sell for drugs. Coco denies he took her stuff, and Leticia seems to believe him. She lets him know that she’s willing to help him, and a stubborn Coco tells her he doesn’t want her help.

Leticia, who’s hurt and frustrated by her father’s rejection, stomps off angrily, but not before telling him he should just overdose and be done with everything. Unfortunately, when Leticia returns to the house, she's in shock when she finds a lifeless Coco on the couch next to Hope (Vanessa Giselle). 

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Richard talks about his character and about his heroin addiction in Season 3 of Mayans M.C. 

When asked whether Coco dies in the series, he says, "I can't tell you what happens! Humanity has only two options: You can choose to live or to die. That's it, and that's the choice he will be faced with. Up to this point, he's been on a trajectory of death. He's been numbing his pain all this time, so by the end of the episode, he is faced with those two choices." 

Coco's fate is still up in the air, and there are still plotlines that he's involved in that haven't cleared up. Richard nor showrunner Elgin has not made any type of announcement publicly about the actor’s departure, so we’re hoping he does survive. The only way to know for sure if Coco dies in the series from the overdose or not is to watch the forthcoming episode, which airs on April 27. 

Mayans M.C. airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. EST on FX.

If you or someone you know needs help, use SAMHSA’s Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator to find support for mental health and substance use disorders in your area: https://findtreatment.samhsa.gov, or call 1-800-662-4357 for 24-hour assistance.