La Familia Michoacána Threatens CJNG & Gulf Cartel In San Luis Potosi

"HEARST" and "Sol Prendido" for Borderland Beat

La Familia Michoacana leaves a narcomanta challenging the CJNG and the Gulf Cartel Espartanos to a battle near the town of Tanquián, in San Luis Potosi.

On November 11, 2021, Twitter user Balam uploaded an alleged new narco message blanket which was placed in the general area of Tanquián municipality in the southeastern region of the state of San Luis Potosi. Compared to most other states, San Luis Potosi has a wide variety of different cartel group operating within it.

Based on the photos of the narco message blanket, the message reads as follows, as translated by Sol Prendido: 

For the townspeople of Tanquián and its surroundings,   

The operative "F1" from the Familia Michoacána is speaking to you.  

This message specifically goes out to that pig "El Kokis Soni" and that faggot Rubén Salazar. We’re coming after everyone of you guys. We will not show mercy. For your own good take your families out of this area. With an advance warning there is no betrayal. No one will stop us.  

As a courtesy we ask that you meet us outside of town for that armed confrontation. Send your bitch ass Grupo Espartanos. We will be here waiting for you guys.   

We are the absolute mob of Señor 100 and Señor [illegible/covered]

Operative “F1”

The same twitter user Balam that uploaded the manta photo also pointed to a previous La Familia Michoacana (LFM) narcomanta as clues to the nature of who the “F1” referred to in the narcomanta might be.

They say that a previous narcomanta from about a year ago is signed by LFM operatives “F2” and “F3”. It also threatens Koki Soni and Ruban Salazar. It reads as follows, as translated by Sol Prendido:

Commanders F2 and F3 are addressing you here.  

 

Come on out to that armed confrontation, fags. Those town scumbags Rubén Salazar, Kokis Soni, Arturo aka “El Lucio”, Totola, and everyone who supports the Salazars. 

Come on out for that armed confrontation. We’re already here, you gang of cochos. 

 

We are the Familia Michoacána in charge here.

Of note, the term “cochos” is a disparaging slang term often used in the dialects of the southern Mexican states of Guerrero and Oaxaca. 

This narco message blanket at least gives us some insight into the “F1”, “F2”, “F3” naming convention which is being used by LFM. Whether the numbers imply a hierarchy or rank within the organization is unknown. They also say that in a drug seizure earlier this year.

El Kokis Soni

In the narco sign, “El Kokis Soni” is likely referring to the alias of Jorge Luis Soni Bulos, the leader of the Cartel San Luis Potosi Nueva Generación (CSLPNG). Jorge Luis is one of the most overtly criminally linked members of the political Soni Bulos family. It is alleged that he started out as a Cartel Noroeste operative before joining under the CSLPNG.

Óscar Soni Bulos, his brother, was municipal president of San Antonio municipality as a PRI candidate. During his administration he was accused of receiving money from companies to deliver city hall contracts. Jorge Luis himself was a candidate for mayor of Tanquián de Escobedo as part of the PRD-PAN-PT alliance.

Another of Jorge Luis’s brothers, Jesús Soni Bulos, was mayor of San Vicente Tancuayalab. At the end of Jesús’s administration, he was accused by his political opponents of making threats and conditioning votes in exchange for benefits from social programs. His son, Jesús Josué Soni Cortés, is the current mayor of San Vicente Tancuayalab.  In February 2016, both Jorge Luis and Óscar were detained by elements of the Army (SEDENA) on charges of carrying a weapon however they were released shortly after.

Jorge Luis Soni Bulos was publicly alleged to be involved in cartel activity last year, on March 6, 2020, the head of the Marines (SEMAR) presented a map of cartels operating in the state of San Luis Potosi during a press conference.

The map presented was later thought to have been mistakenly shown during the press conference, according to National Security sources that news source La Silla Rota consulted. It is possible that a different map was planned to be presented during the press conference however the one shown was created for internal use by National Security personnel based on the level of detail.

Unable to find unblurred version of map, inbox me if you find it.

La Silla Rota writes when the Federal Government's communication team released the slides from the press conference, but the slide of the map was conveniently missing which only further increased their suspicion that the map was not intended to be publicly presented.  

Regardless, the map shown on March 6, 2020, showed the southeastern section of San Luis Potosi to be largely controlled by either the Gulf Cartel (Cartel del Golfo, CDG) or the Cartel San Luis Potosi Nueva Generación (CSLPNG) with Jorge Luis Soni Bulos as its leader. 

The CSLPNG, much like the Cartel Tijuana Nueva Generación, is a play on the naming convention of the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) and is believed to be a group of local capos who have been franchised by the larger CJNG organization. Whether Kokis Soni’s cartel group still works under the CJNG or still uses that particular moniker in 2021 is unclear. 

Rubén Salazar

Earlier this year, on March 16, 2021, Rubén Salazar was named by a facebook group as now belonging to the Gulf Cartel in a post by the facebook group Anonymous Huasteca. They imply in their posts that Rubén Salazar was working with the Soni Bulos group but had now left for the CDG. They also allege that currently Rubén Salazar works closely with the group Cartel de los Alemanes. 

The Alemanes group was led by Alfredo Alemán Narváez, alias “Comandante Aleman”, who was arrested in 2011 but even in recent years he is still regularly accused of organizing Los Alemanes operations. Los Alemanes began as a CDG group but later split with the CDG and waged war against them. 

They are sometimes referred to as a Zetas group in media reports but the group itself seems to identify more as a CDG group. In a November 2020 video, they stated that they were at the service of the CDG - Matamoros Los Espartanos faction leader Evaristo Cruz Sanchez, alias “El Vaquero”. For a full explanation of Los Espartanos, please see this previous post.

In August 2020, Los Alemanes released a video in which they delivered a message on behalf of themselves and Los Zetas splinter group Old School Zetas (Zeta Vieja Escuela) addressed to José Guadalupe Castillo Celestino, director of the Ministerial Police, saying he had broken the truce he had with them. In March 2021, they were accused by the CJNG of being involved in two high profile San Luis Potosí murders. 

The narcomanta implies that either Koki Soni or Ruben Salazar are in league with the CDG Matamoros faction subgroup Los Espartanos which are associated with Evaristo Cruz Sánchez, alias “El Vaquero” and José Alfredo Cárdenas Martínez, alias “El Contador”. Considering how closely Los Alemans seems to work with Ruben Salazar, it is likely he is the one being referred to primarily in regards to this. 

Señor 100

The La Familia narcomanta is signed by “Señor 100” which may refer to Medardo Hernández Vera, alias "El Mantecas”, "Lalo Mantecas" or “El 100" who leads a La Familia Michoacána group with a presence in border area of Michoacán, San Luis Potosí and the State of Mexico.

Lalo Mantecas is believed to report to Johnny Hurtado Olascoaga, alias “El Pez”, and his brother, Jose Alfredo Hurtado, alias “La Fresa”, leaders of one the of the major LFM groups.

Sources: Balam Tweet 1, Tweet 2, La Silla Rota, Radiocentro977, Proceso, Anonymous Huasteca Post 1, Post 2

Further Reading:

Overview of Cartels in SLP

Los Espartanos Details