After Osiel Crdenas Guilln took full control of the Gulf Cartel in 1999, he found himself in a no-holds-barred fight to keep his notorious organization and leadership untouched, and sought out members of the Mexican Army Special Forces to become the military armed-wing of the Gulf Cartel. [266], In 2003, the arrest of several high-profile cartel leaders, including the heads of the Tijuana Cartel and Gulf Cartel, Benjamn Arellano Flix and Osiel Crdenas Guilln, turned the war on drugs into a trilateral war. The Americans were found as a result of joint search operations, according to the attorney general in Tamaulipas, but how officials ultimately located and rescued them remains unclear. A un mes de que se registrara el secuestro de cuatro ciudadanos estadounidenses en la ciudad de Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mxico, dos sobrevivientes del secuestro revelaron que sus captores del crtel mexicano trataron de obligarlos a que tuvieran relaciones sexuales entre ellos. [326] In addition, due to the low-paying salaries of many policemen, the Gulf Cartel often "buys" many law enforcement officers in Mexico. The Gulf cartel apologized Thursday after two U.S. citizens were killed in an armed abduction last week in Mexico. Some of the revenue of the Gulf Cartel is often laundered in several bank accounts, properties, vehicles, and gasoline stations. [213] However, remnants still exist in Tamaulipas. [71], One of the first missions of Los Zetas was to eradicate Los Chachos, a group of drug traffickers under the orders of the Milenio Cartel, who disputed the drug corridors of Tamaulipas with the Gulf Cartel in 2003. The van sits on the side of the road after apparently colliding with a red SUV. The rupture from Los Zetas left Jorge Eduardo Costilla Snchez and Antonio Crdenas Guilln in full control of the Gulf Cartel. The area that Meja Gonzlez wanted was given to Samuel Flores Borrego, suggesting that the Metros were above the Rojos. The two agents traveled to Matamoros with an informant to gather intelligence on the operations of the Gulf Cartel. Instead, he created warehouses along the Mexican's northern border to preserve hundreds of tons of cocaine; this allowed him to create a new distribution network and increase his political influence. Cities such as Mazatln and Culiacn can look appealing on travel websites (and visually offer some amazing Spanish architecture) but beware of the region's sketchy people. The incident escalated as Crdenas Guilln threatened to kill them if they did not comply and as his gunmen prepared to shoot. [249] A confrontation inside a maximum security prison in Nuevo Laredo on 15 July 2011, left 7 inmates dead and 59 escaped. He declined to share additional information about the investigation into their abduction. The FBI told CBS News that they were fired upon by drug cartel factions, and the white van they were driving crashed. [79], In 2002, there were three main divisions of the Cartel, all ruled over by Crdenas and led by: Jorge Eduardo "El Coss" Costilla Sanchez, Antonio "Tony Tormenta" Crdenas Guillen, and Heriberto "El Lazca" Lazcano Lazcano. [321] He is allegedly reported to have been protected by a large private army of gunmen. [325] The Gulf Cartel also bribes journalists to persuade them not to mention any violent incidents in the media. [213] Los Pelones emerged as an independent cartel during this fragmentation as well. In 2010, authorities discovered the bodies of 72 migrants from Central America who had been killed by the Zetas, a ruthless group that broke from the Gulf drug cartel in the mid-2000s. [182], Some experts have found it difficult to argue that the Gulf Cartel does not impose a direct threat to the state since they "do not seek political change", and that they only want to be left alone with their business. According to the media outlet, Baltazar Hinojosa brother in law, owns a shell company created by the law firm, where its board of directors' members is his wife and three daughters. According to the police report filed by Orange and reviewed by CBS News, the group was reported missing by Orange on Saturday. In August 2007, La Maa gang, an alleged sub-group of the criminal group Los Zetas and the Gulf Cartel, was reported to have controlled the extortion business in Matamoros, Tamaulipas. The men then proceed to drag two people into the vehicle. [176] The arrests of Marco Antonio Cortez Rodrguez alias Escorpin 37 and of Josu Gonzlez Rodrguez alias Escorpin 43the two who were hospitalized after the shootout of 5 November 2010allowed for the Mexican forces to understand the structure of Los Escorpiones. [237], Both candidates have and continue to face accusations of receiving illicit money from the Gulf Cartel while being mayors of two border towns. However, Ezekiel died in a shooting with the Mexican Marines in Matamoros, Tamaulipas in 2010,[274] and Costilla Sanchez became the sole head of the cartel until his arrest in September 2012. 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Cardenas-Guillen", "DEA agent talks of 1999 Matamoros standoff with Osiel Cardenas-Guillen", "Extradition: Past cases highlight limits", "New U.S. attorney no stranger to Houston", "Mexican drug lords decry U.S. prison conditions", "Assets from drug boss go to Texas law enforcement", "Trafficking defendant: I was a DEA informer", "U.S. turns over custody of Cardenas-Guillen helicopters to businesses", "Mexico's Cartels Declare War on the Zetas", "Gulf Cartel split with Zetas made public", "Mexican cartels strategize to win hearts and minds", "Otro Crdenas Guilln hereda la organizacin", "Authorities: Gulf Cartel, Zetas gang up on each other as arrangement dies", "War between Gulf Cartel, Zetas marks year anniversary", "Ejecucin de "El Concorde" deton guerra en Tamaulipas", "The Gulf-Zeta Split and the Praetorian Revolt", "Mxico: Los Zetas rompen con el Cartel del Golfo", "El crtel de los Zetas tiende acuerdos de "no agresin y colaboracin", "Gulf Cartel lieutenant's associates enter plea agreement", "Ejrcito, Armada y PF van tras El Coss, segundo heredero del crtel del Golfo", "Another Cardenas-Guillen inherits the organization", "Se lanza la PGR por ms lderes del crtel del Golfo", "Operativo contra Tony Tormenta dej 8 muertos", "Tres militares, 'Tony Tormenta' y un periodista", "Operativo de seis meses llev a abatimiento de Tony Tormenta: Secretara de Marina", "Cae "Tony Tormenta", lider del cartel del Golfo", "In the aftermath, UTB-TSC works to protect students", "Reputed Gulf cartel leader killed in Mexico shootout", "Secretara de Marina, detenciones en tierra", "Detonaron ms de 300 granadas en el operativo contra Tony Tormenta", "Muere Tony Tormenta luego de ocho horas de tiroteos con efectivos federales en Matamoros", "Top Mexican drugs lord killed in fierce gunbattle with military", "Muere Antonio Cardenas Guillen, alias "Tony Tormenta," lider del cartel del Golfo", "Video indito del la muerte de Cardenas Guillen, "Tony Tormenta", "Mexico Border War Live Battle! By Chivis 9/25/2020 11:56:00 AM 73 comments. [105] The standoff the two agents had with the drug lord in 1999 in the city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas led for the U.S. to indict Crdenas and pressure the Mexican government to capture him. Victims of violence in Matamoros and other large border cities of Tamaulipas often go uncounted, because the cartels have a history of disappearing the bodies of their victims. [309], Before 2010, it was not clear whether the Gulf Cartel controls the human trafficking business in its territory or whether it simply taxes operators for using their smuggling corridors. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Late last week, gunmen kidnapped Ramiro Salazar Rodriguez, the father of former Matamoros Mayor Leticia Salazar. [63] In response to the rising power of the Gulf Cartel, the rival Sinaloa Cartel[77] established a heavily armed, well-trained enforcer group known as Los Negros. [48], Humberto Garca brego, brother of Juan Garca brego, tried to take the lead of the Gulf Cartel, but ultimately failed in his attempt. On March 3, theU.S. Consulate issued an alertabout violence in Matamoros and local authorities warned people to shelter in place. [259] In June 2011, the state government of Tamaulipas requested the federal government to send in troops to combat the drug cartels in the area, to "consolidate actions on public safety" and "strengthen the capacity of their institutions. It is clear, however, that after the capture and extradition of Osiel Crdenas Guilln, Los Zetas outclassed the Gulf Cartel in revenue, membership, and influence. Narcotics are also smuggled through the railroads that connect the U.S. and Mexico. De acuerdo con una revisin de documentos clasificados por The . They pointedly noted that they had carried out executions and kidnappings under orders of the Gulf Cartel when they served as their enforcers, and they were created by them for that sole purpose. El Cacho survived by throwing himself from the bed. Matamoros Tourism: Tripadvisor has 1,211 reviews of Matamoros Hotels, Attractions, and Restaurants making it your best Matamoros resource. "[315], Extortion Learning that El Cacho had survived, the Gulf Cartel ordered a second attack inside the clinic. [343] Prostitutes are also used as informants and spies, and provide their sexual favors to extract information from certain targets. [276] In addition, within the Gulf Cartel there is believed to be two groupsthe Rojos and the Metros. When the Gulf Cartel was moving tons of cocaine to the United States and moving millions of dollars in cash along the border in the 1970s, Juan Garca brego decided that he needed more protection. [322] A retired FBI agent and expert in drug trafficking explained that the Gulf Cartel "relied on bribery" to build its drug empire and consolidate its prominence. Cheryl Orangetold the Associated Pressvia text message that she was with Williams, McGee, Brown and Woodard. Although its founder Juan Nepomuceno Guerra smuggled alcohol in large quantities to the United States during the Prohibition era, and heroin for over 40 years,[15] it was not until the 1980s that the cartel was shifted to trafficking cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana under the command of Juan Nepomuceno Guerra and Juan Garca brego. "[232] Months later, Hernndez Flores finally recognized that several parts of Tamaulipas were "being overrun by organized crime violence. [291] This practice of extorting money from people is also seen in the human trafficking business in Mexico; the cartels threaten smugglers to pay a fee for using the corridors, and if they refuse to pay, drug traffickers respond in a deadly form. [197] Although cocaine is not grown in Africa, Mexican organizations, such as the Gulf Cartel, are currently exploiting West Africa's struggling rule-of-law caused by war, crime and poverty, to stage and expand supply routes to the increasingly lucrative European illegal drug market. [228][229] The municipal president of Tampico, Tamaulipas, scar Prez Inguanzo, was arrested 12 November 2011, due to his "improper exercise of public functions and forgery" of certain documents. [117], Nevertheless, other sources also reveal that Antonio Crdenas Guilln, brother of Osiel and one of the successors of the Gulf Cartel, was addicted to gambling, sex, and drugs, leading Los Zetas to consider his leadership as a threat to the organization. [134] Government sources claimed that this operationwhere more than 660 marines, 17 vehicles, and 3 helicopters participatedleft 8 dead: three marines, one soldier, and four gunmen, including Antonio Crdenas. [33], Further theories put forward to allege the arrest of Garca brego was to satisfy U.S. demands and meet certification, from the Department of Justice (DOJ), as a trade partner, the vote set to take place on 1 March. Moreover, through handwritten notes, Crdenas gave orders on the movement of drugs along Mexico and to the United States, approved executions, and signed forms to allow the purchase of police forces. But the cartel has lost territory and influence in recent years to its rivals, according to the think tank InSight Crime. "[290] It is generally seen as a way where criminals change the legal face of security and provide their own form of "insurance". [348], Transportation [133] However, Antonio died in an eight-hour shooting with the Mexican government forces on 5 November 2010, in the border city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas. [239] Cabeza de Vaca is accused of not reporting its total wealth and having properties both in Texas, Tamaulipas, and Mexico City. border. [185] Thomas A. Shannon, a U.S. diplomat and ambassador, stated that criminal organizations like the Gulf Cartel have "substantially weakened" the institutions in Mexico and Central America, and have generated a surge of violence in the United States. 18 Colima - A Previously Peaceful Paradise [70] Between 2001 and 2008, the organization of the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas was collectively known as La Compaa (The Company). according to the think tank InSight Crime. [335] The Economist mentioned in 1997 that the drug money from the Gulf Cartel in the Rio Grande Valley was perhaps moving about $20billion, and that around 15% of the retailers' gains were from drug money. Moreover, the Mexican drug traffickers often use small boats to transport drugs through the coastal areas of South Texas, usually operating at night to prevent them from being spotted by law enforcement officials. [136] This military-led operation was a result of more than six months of intelligence work. [242] Authorities are still trying to understand how the prisoners escaped. [57] After this, Osiel Crdenas Guilln took control of the cartel in July 1999 after assassinating Salvador Gmez Herrera alias El Chava, co-leader of the Gulf Cartel and close friend of him, earning his name as the Mata Amigos (Friend Killer). [147] Moreover, several bystanders also recorded the shootouts. Definition of Matamoros in the Definitions.net dictionary. [223][224] In addition, El Universal newspaper mentions that the narco-corruption in Tamaulipas is due to the fact the opposing political parties, the PAN and the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), rarely win an election and "practically do not exist". Officials previouslyconfirmedthat a Mexican citizen was killed in the initial attack. [255], The Exclsior newspaper mentioned that the police forces in the state of Tamaulipas are the "worst paid in Mexico" despite being "one of the states hardest hit by violence. He served as head of cartel's operations in Oaxaca. Mexico's security secretary identified the surviving Americans as Latavia "Tay" McGee and Eric James Williams. Following the incident, the gunmen responsible for the kidnapping were reportedly handed over to the authorities and the cartel made a public apology.[366]. The potential alliance was conducted by Juan Reyes Meja Gonzlez (alias "R1"), from the Gulf Cartel; and Rogelio Gonzlez Pizaa (alias "Z-2"), from Los Zetas. [24], It also became known that, in addition to the INS bus scam, Garca brego had a "special deal" with members of the Texas National Guard who would truck tons of cocaine and marijuana from South Texas to Houston for the cartel. "[23], Garca brego's ties extended beyond the Mexican government corruption and into the United States. Two such sectors are the Rio Grande Valley and West Texas, near the El PasoJurez metropolitan area. La Fiscala General de la Repblica (FGR) detuvo al notario 135 de Oaxaca, Jorge A.M.G., o Jorge GM., acusado de ser integrante del popularmente conocido como Crtel del despojo que se apropi de casas y terrenos en la ciudad de Oaxaca y otros municipios. October 25, 2021. [311] People smuggling is currently controlled by a cell within the Gulf Cartel known as Los Flacos, dedicated to the kidnapping and smuggling of undocumented migrants as far as South America to the United States. [310] La Jornada mentioned that before the rupture with Los Zetas in 2007, the corridor of Reynosa, Tamaulipas was often used for human smuggling. [156][157][158][159][160][161][162] The death of Antonio Crdenas Guillen also caused a spiral of violence in Reynosa, Tamaulipas a number of days after he was killed. [363][364] He was arrested with a female companion identified as Miriam "M" and is accused of being responsible for recent violence in Tamaulipas[365], In March 2023, a splinter faction from the Gulf Cartel called the Scorpions Group publicly accepted responsibility for an incident where four Americans were kidnapped, which ended in two of the victims being killed. [21] Around 1994, it was estimated that the Gulf Cartel handled as much as "one-third of all cocaine shipments" into the United States from the Cali Cartel suppliers. [328] They were reported to have stolen around 40% of the oil products in 2011 in northern Mexico and then selling it illegally in Mexico and in the American black market. It was later proven after his arrest that the deputy attorney general in charge of Mexico's federal Judicial Police had accumulated more than US$9million for protecting Garca brego. [39] Hours after the judge told Garca brego that he was going to spend the rest of his life in prison, the death penalty was out of the question for the prosecutors. Some experts believed that the death of Antonio Crdenas would be dreadful for the Gulf Cartel, and that Los Zetas would overthrow them and eventually take control of Tamaulipas. But on 24 February 2010, hundreds of trucks marked with C.D.G, XXX, and M3 (the insignias of the Gulf Cartel) began to hit the streets of northern Tamaulipas. Garca brego bribed the agent in an attempt to gather more information on U.S. law enforcement operations. [340] Arms trafficking from the U.S. to Mexico, however, is often carried out individually, and there is no criminal group in Mexico or an international organization that is solely dedicated to this activity. [245] Reports first indicated that there were 71 fugitives, but the correct figures were later released. Please enter valid email address to continue. [318] --> [225] PRI's main opposition party, the PAN, claimed that government elections in Tamaulipas are likely to encounter an "organized crime influence. [192], The Gulf Cartel is believed to have ties with the 'Ndrangheta, an organized crime group in Italy that also has ties with Los Zetas. "[234], On 5 June 2016, citizens from Tamaulipas elected a governor from the opposition party, Fransico Javier Garcia Cabeza de Vaca member of Accion Nacional (National Action). [231] In mid-2010, Eugenio Hernndez Flores, the governor of Tamaulipas and scar Luebbert Gutirrez, the mayor of Reynosa, Tamaulipas, both members of the PRI, were criticized for claiming that there were no armed confrontations in Tamaulipas and that the violence was "only a rumor. [198][199], The rumors of the broken alliance between the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas began on blogs and mass emails in September 2009, but it remained pretty much the same throughout that yeara rumor. [122] Soon after his death, Los Zetas demanded the Gulf Cartel to hand over the killer, but they didn't, and observers believe that triggered the war. [128] The death of Antonio allowed for Costilla Snchez to become the co-leader of the Gulf Cartel and head of the Metros, one of the two factions within the Gulf Cartel. In a letter obtained by The Associated Press through a Tamaulipas state law enforcement source, the Scorpions faction of the Gulf cartel apologized to the residents of Matamoros, the Mexican woman who died in the shooting and the four Americans and their families. [11][12] Besides drug trafficking, the Gulf Cartel operates through protection rackets, assassinations, extortions, kidnappings, and other criminal activities. ABBREVIATIONS; ANAGRAMS; BIOGRAPHIES; CALCULATORS; CONVERSIONS; DEFINITIONS; GRAMMAR; LITERATURE . [347], Police impersonation [305] When victims are kidnapped by the drug cartels on American territory, kidnappers usually hide them in the trunk of a car and take them to Mexico. [61] His goal was to protect himself from rival drug cartels and from the Mexican military, to perform vital functions as the leader of the most powerful drug cartel in Mexico. A Mexican drug cartel claiming its members were behind the brazen kidnapping of four Americans last week handed over five of the members and left a note of apology, Mexican media outlets and . [306] FBI investigators said that victims are "kidnapped, threatened, assaulted, drugged and transported into Mexico to meet with Cartel members. [118] Other reports mention, however, that the rupture occurred due to a disagreement about who would take on the leadership of the cartel after the extradition of Osiel. [293] In addition, the Mexican drug cartels also tax several Mexican businesses inside the United States and threaten them with property damage and murder if they do not comply.[294]. [178] When the Rojos turned on the Metros, the largest faction in the Gulf cartel, firefights broke throughout Tamaulipas and drug loads were stolen among each other, but the Metros managed to retain control of the major cities that stretched from Matamoros to Miguel Alemn, Tamaulipas. Local media often avoid reporting on such incidents out of safety concerns. He was the first drug trafficker to be on that list. [188] The strong ties the Gulf Cartel has with the prison gangs in the United States have also raised concern to American officials. Secuestro de estadounidenses en Matamoros en represalia por "incidente de atropello y fuga" De acuerdo con el Post: "Citando informacin obtenida a travs de "seales de inteligencia derivadas de FISA", que incluyen escuchas telefnicas autorizadas por la corte, el informe dice que los cuatro estadounidenses fueron atacados "en represalia . (Hector Vivas/Getty Images) The recent armed attack on four U.S. citizens in the Mexican border city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas state, illustrated well-documented security risks in Mexico's many crime hotspots, where gang and cartel violence disrupts daily life and hinders business operations. Both the Mexican and U.S. government increased their efforts to apprehend Crdenas Guilln. [298][299] Omar Ortiz, best known for his nickname El Gato, was a former soccer star from C.F. The individuals in question never moved to intervene. / CBS/AP. [91] However, it was believed that Crdenas still controlled the Gulf Cartel from prison,[92] and was later extradited to the United States, where he was sentenced to 25 years in a prison in Houston, Texas for money laundering, drug trafficking and death threats to U.S. federal agents. 29 Jul 2020 0 2:07 MATAMOROS, Tamaulipas - Mexican federal authorities are tight-lipped about the kidnapping of a former border city mayor's father. [292] The Gulf Cartel operates in a similar way, and often extorts businesses for protection money in the areas where it operates, pledging to kill those who do not agree to pay the fee. [302][303][304] Investigators believe that more unreported kidnappings have occurred in nearby locations. [72] This gang was controlled by Dionisio Romn Garca Snchez alias El Chacho, who had decided to betray the Gulf Cartel and switch his alliance with the Tijuana Cartel; however, he was eventually killed by Los Zetas. [250] The 5 guards that were supposed to supervise have not been found, and the Federal government urged the state and municipal authorities to strengthen the security of their prisons. On Friday March 3, four U.S. citizens werekidnapped after a brazen attack carried out by multiple gunmen in the northern Mexico border city of Matamoros. In 1989 Claude was removed from the case for unknown reasons, retiring a year later. [317] Many of the extortions are first carried out on the phone. The forces that shaped the violence in 2019 were much the same as those in 2018, and as 2020 dawns, the regions are mired in bloody cartel conflicts that show no sign of resolution.Part of the reason is the involvement of powerful external organizations that can supply the money, guns and men to sustain weaker local groups and prevent them from . [123], Tamaulipas was mostly spared from the violence until early 2010, when the Gulf Cartel's enforcers, Los Zetas, split from and turned against the Gulf Cartel, sparking a bloody turf war. For years, a night out in Matamoros was also part of the "two-nation vacation" for spring breakers flocking to Texas' South Padre Island. [58], As confrontations with rival groups heated up, Osiel Crdenas Guilln sought and recruited over 30 deserters of the Mexican Army's elite Grupo Aeromvil de Fuerzas Especiales (GAFE) to form part of the cartel's armed wing. Court documents indicated that Garca brego was bribing several law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and politicians on both sides on the border to keep himself impune and untouched. The STANDS4 Network. [312] It operates primarily on the TabascoVeracruzTamaulipas corridor. Zalandria Brown said Zindell Brown, who lives in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and two friends were with a third friend who was going to Mexico for "tummy tuck" cosmetic surgery. [103] However, continual disagreement was leading the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas into an inevitable rupture. Reports mention that Antonio Crdenas was being protected by the Los Escorpiones (The Scorpions), the alleged armed wing of the Gulf Cartel and the personal army of Antonio Crdenas, who was serving as snipers and bodyguards for him. [264] El Universal released an article which said that the National Public Security System (SNSP) has condemned the cops' salaries, and demanded the state and municipal authorities to create better paying programs for the policemen so they can have a "just wage" for themselves and their families. 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