1 soldier and 5 CDN members killed near Miguel Alemán, Tamaulipas

(Note: this article may be updated upon the release of additional details)

During the afternoon of Monday, January 9, an armed confrontation took place between members of the Mexican military and forces of the Cártel del Noreste (CDN, Northeast Cartel) near Rancho El Barretal, which is located some 10 miles south of Ciudad Miguel Alemán, Tamaulipas, near the north shore of Marte R. Gómez reservoir.

At the time of this writing the Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional (SEDENA) has not released any official information about this event, however, reports indicate that a soldier was killed, as well as 5 or 6 members of the CDN.

A Fallen Soldier

Participating on the Mexican army side of the conflict was the 25/o Regimiento de Caballería Motorizado (25th Regiment of Motorized Cavalry), which has been stationed in Ciudad Mier, Tamaulipas since January 2017. They operate in the area shown below:

The member killed in the clash is reported as 25 year old Yahir Romero Orlaineta, who was from Minatitlán, Veracruz.

CDN Deaths

Pictures of dead members of the CDN are beginning to be found online, in particular those watermarked by ElGuzman on the FuriaNegra77 Twitter account:

MennyValdz has posted one of these pics in color and without watermarks in which a badge patch can be seen:

The curved rectangle on top reads “Noreste” (Northeast), while the upper part of the red circle reads “Operaciones Especiales C.D.N.” (Special Operations C.D.N.). The lower part of the red circle reads “Mata Golfos” (Mata translating to kill or killer and Golfos being a derogatory slang term for members of the Cartel del Golfo/CDG). In the center of the patch are the letters C.D.N. with Infanteria #3 (Infantry #3) written below it. I am uncertain to the lettering on the right side, within in the red circle, but my working theory is that the numbers represent a more specific identification, be it the individual or the a subgroup of Infanteria #3.

The Miguel Alemán Plaza

The city and municipality of Miguel Alemán has traditionally been a plaza controlled by the Cártel del Golfo (CDG, Gulf Cartel), specifically the Los Metros faction, and has the designated code name of Metal.

As of August 2022 it was being reported that Hugo Armando “La Cabra” Salinas Cortinas, code name “Metro 7”, operated in Miguel Alemá, although it is unclear if he is/was head of plaza, regional commander, or this is merely one of the plazas in which he operates.

Furthermore, in August 2022 it was reported that “El Jacky”, code name “Metro 87”, a former underling of Juan Francisco “El Panochitas” Sáenz Tamez, was regional leader of the Zona Ribereña, which includes Miguel Alemán. It is currently unclear if “El Jacky” is actually an alias of Leonel Artemio “El Chaparro” Bazán García, who has also used the code name “Metro 87”, or if they are two separate individuals.

The municipality of Miguel Alemán has been significant battleground, as Los Metros have been defending the plaza against incursions of the CDN, primarily from Ciudad Mier, a plaza once controlled by Los Metros that fell to the CDN in recent years, as well as a second line of attack from the Los Herrera/Los Aldamas/Doctor Coss area of Nuevo León via Los Treviño.

A third front of CDN attacks that has threatened the Camago plaza via Comales and El Azucar, as previously reported, may in fact be the origin of the CDN forces killed in this particular conflict, as the road passing Rancho El Barretal circles around Marte R. Gómez reservoir to the east, providing a connection between the town of Comales and Ciudad Miguel Alemán.

Sources: El Mañana, WhoWasInCommand, El Tamaleo, FuriaNegra77, MennyValdz, ReynosaMaldosa