"La Tuta" says he's sick and tired of the Caballeros Templarios

Proceso (10-30-2014)

Translated by un vato for Borderland Beat

This audio recording has been reported in several places, such as RioDoce, El Diario de Coahuila, Diario de Juarez, just to name a few. The voice, style, accent and language are those of Servando Gomez Martinez, "La Tuta", judging from several video recordings that have been posted here in the Borderland Beat and in several Mexican journals. I took the trouble of transcribing and translating the recording -- La Tuta talks fast! -- because he mentions several names that have appeared in other stories about Michoacan. --un vato

 

MEXICO, D.F. (apro).--In a new audio (recording) that is circulating in social networks, Servando Gomez Martinez, "La Tuta", states that he is fed up ("hasta la chingada) with the Caballeros Templarios. He suggests to one of his friends, whom he identifies as "El Kinini", that they create a new organization to take control of exploitation of minerals from Arteaga to Aguililla.

It is the second audio recording that the Templario leader has made public in less than a week. In the first one, published a few days ago, he says he made a mistake in choosing to take a criminal path, but he warned that he will not pay for his crimes while he's alive.

In the new video, published on Wednesday, he warns that he will continue in the business of mining and extraction of iron ore, and for that, he will eliminate his adversaries.

In addition, "La Tuta" asks his friend to align miners in the Sierra-Costa region to form a single block and take control of mineral exploitation from Arteaga to Aguililla.

"We have to treat miners very tactfully, with a lot of respect; we already told them that we're going to collect [protection money] only from those that come from outside the area, and whatever they want to give us. If they were giving us $3.00 per ton before, now they'll give us $1.50, and that is enough", says the Templario leader in the recording.

He also refers to somebody identified as "Tena", telling him that they are both working men. "We are narcos, never bandits or kidnappers", La Tuta promises him.

He also claims that it was former Templario leader Nazario Moreno. "El Loco", "who made us do stupid things (we shouldn't have). I ask you from my heart to get together with Kinini, with Tono and Valdemar, and get to 'El Mocho'", he asks Tena, and insists on forming a new group of "friends" to "work" and take care of their areas.

The capo tells him that his men will take 100 of Gallito's men out of the way to drive him out so they (Tuta and Tena) can take over all the properties and the mines.

"There a lot of land to plant ice, marijuana and let us make a living. The mines we work, we will work ourselves, we're not going to steal anything from anybody", Gomez Martinez emphasizes.

TRANSCRIPT OF RECORDING 

La Tuta: Hello, Flaco! What's going on, Kinini. I'm very pleased to greet you and I hope your loved ones are doing well. 

Listen, my Kinini, I want to tell you something. The kid that's going to deliver this recording, you know who he is. He's also going to help you with a little money so you can pay your boys. It looks like they're 228 or 230. So, no later than Sunday, he'll give you 260,000 pesos so you can pay your boys.

Keep up the hard work, Kinini. We have to treat miners very tactfully, with a lot of respect. We sent word to them that we're going to collect [protection money] only from those that come from outside the area, and whatever else they want to give us. If they were giving us $3.00 per ton before, now they'll give us $1.50, and that's enough.

Because, well...we were taking the money to the guy who died. Now, all we want is to get enough to live on. Give this message to my good friend, Tena, I've heard that you're in touch with him. Rely on Tena. Look, your mines, those that are located towards Tumbiscatio, they are yours. We're going to try to negotiate, so pay attention so that you know what's what and can come to an agreement with Tena   

Look, over here, "Gallito", Loco's man, is the one who is trying to fuck with us. He and those guys will never learn, they want to go back to that shit, to robbery and kidnapping.  There are people that are said to have graduated from school, which was your father, my father, "El Chiguan", "El Pinto" with "Chiwis" and everybody. We're trying to make him be reasonable, so he can try to talk to these people. And if he's the one who's going to control this guy, so let have peace and stop fucking around. What's done is done.

But I want you to know this. Look, get in touch with Tena. We're taking care of it from our side. But you, you get in touch with Tena and tell him, "Look, my friend Tena, all of the top side of the mountain, above where you are, where your mine is, what is from Playitas, Hostigal, El Puerto del Venado, to the top, which is Puertas Quemadas, which is Cerro Prieto, which is Barranca Adentro, all the way until you get to Aguililla, all of that until you hit Los Agaves, all of that until you get to Tena's lands. Tena doesn't have any space because of what they're doing to him.


The guy who betrayed us and killed my compadre Ponciano, and killed "El Jamaica" and the other kid, was "El Mocho", a fucking kidnapper from Arteaga, who was one of the doctor's men, and the one who kept them (the men). We were paying him and it appeared he was OK with us, but he called my compadre Ponciano to a meeting and killed him. 

So then,  "El Mocho" is with Valdemar, the one from Aguililla, one of Tena's men. Or rather, it looks like he was (with Valdemar) because last I heard is that Valdemar had split from him. Nobody likes "El Mocho". He has a few men with him, about 10 or 15 boys, but Gallito's men are giving him support; "El Lutas". "Higuere" and all of that bunch of fools that are up here above San Francisco, over here around ?Pansacola?,  up here by La Cucha, way up on top over here, they are providing him support.

So what is this about? This is about you and Tena going up higher. In Tumbiscatio, I have Don Tono, the one from Coalcoman, who was also one of Tena's men. I've got him there with 50 or 60 men, all of Ponciano's people, the ones who were with Dimas, who stayed with me because they captured my compadre Chewis. And the ones with Don Tono, who are about seven men. There's supposed to be about 50 to 60 men staying there.

So then, you and Tena come to an agreement with Don Tono, the one from Coalcoman, he's in touch with Tena. Come to an agreement with them. And let Tena talk to Valdemar and tell him, "If you have split up with "El Mocho", join me",  and between all of you, if you want to, hit "El Mocho". If you hit "El Mocho" and make him leave the area, all of those properties that are up there in the mountains are for taking control of the mines. Tell Tena that it is to his advantage, and yours, too.

And so, we'll control the mines, and Tena will have enough space to come up here. So then, the river comes down from that area, all of that area including El Hostigal adjacent to Aguililla, which was Tena's, and Tena will have space to come in. "El Mocho" has many ranches there, and they would provide for Ten and for us.

Propose this to Tena, let him listen to this recording. And, Tena, you know that you and I are working men, we are narcos, we have never been bandits, kidnappers, or any kind of asshole like that. And you know very well how "El Loco" would get us to do a lot of stupid things that, no... I didn't agree with a lot of things, Don Tena, but you know very well that absolutely nobody would back me when I contradicted "El Loco".

So, with all my heart, Tena, I ask you to join Kinini, and get together with Tono, from Coalcoman. And bring in Valdemar, and hit "El Mocho", and all the ranches that you are familiar with in the mountains, you can keep them and live there with your boys, all the way to your properties in Aguililla. I don't have a problem with that. We have always been friends, so, Tena, let's do it that way.

Look, Tena, when this operation started and the narcos came at us, the package they had to deal with was seven people: Don Quique, there was uncle Micho Loya-- that makes two. No. 3 was "Sames", No. 4 was "Pantera"--- those four are no longer around, they have been captured or killed. No. 5 was yourself, No. 6 was Cenizo and No. 7 was me, your humble servant. Those were the seven (people) in the package.

Now, there is only Cenizo, who's with me, and you, too. You, Cenizo and I.  Everybody likes us like water for chocolate. And Gallito is going to try to set us up and fuck us over. We need to stick together.

So I propose, Tena... Oh, and they did not come for the other one because he was already dead, that's why they didn't come for him. So he was not pushing them because he was already dead. But he also went with the package. So, that's who is left: Ceni, you, and I.

I'm going to try to arrange things with the narcos. Trust me, I ask you with all my heart, Tena, and let's split up only with Gallito's people. Get together with Valdemar. Last I heard is that Valdemar did not agree with the things "El Mocho" was doing, and I'm telling you, he betrayed us. I had been paying him since January! I had been paying him for 6 or 7 months and he betrayed us, he killed my compadre Ponciano and he killed "El Jamaico".

I have all the people. That's what I'm proposing. Together with Kinini, come on up here. Talk to Tono, the one from Coalcoman, who I've got up there with Ponciano's people, and talk to Valdemar. "El Mocho", at most, he's got between 10 or 15 boys because nobody likes him, he's an asshole, he would beat them up and everything. The people had stayed with him because I had told them they were going to stay under my command and that things were going to change.

But now, now that he killed my compadre Ponciano about 15 days ago, all his people left him. He's got 10 or 15 gunmen with him, so I cannot get close to him. But you guys are up there, hiding in those areas in the mountains, well, go on up with Kinini. We're going to have mines there, we're going to have everything.

And, I'll try to arrange things with "Fructos". I will be staying in touch with "Fructos". Because up here, in ?Pansacola?, in ?Tambirichere?,  from El Ojo as you turn towards La Cucha, at Los Molinos, there are about 80 to 100 armed men who are with Gallito. But I'm already talking to some people so I can take him out.



Trust me, Tena. You're a working man. You're a narco, and so am I, and we'll have so much land, to make ice, to plant marijuana and to allow us to live off of that. We're going to respect the people from the mines, and we will work our own mines ourselves, and we're not going to rob anybody or take anything from them.

From the heart, my Tena, listen to this that I'm sending with Kinini, and get together with Kinini and El Flaco, and go on up there. I will take care of the ones that are up here in ?Pansacola? and all that, because "El Gallito" wants to retake all that belonged to the Caballeros Templarios, and I am fed up ("estoy hasta la chingada") and I don't want to hear any more about Los Caballeros Templarios. I am inviting you, Tena, as a friend, let's form a group of friends to just to work, only that.

And let's take care of ourselves and take care of our areas. I promise that I will negotiate with Fructoso and them. So trust me, I will arrange things with them. You're going to have a lot of space so you can live in those mountains with nobody bothering you.

Take care, Flaco, Kinini, and talk with Tena. And that's how it is. And as for Gallito, who wants to fuck with us, I will try to talk with Don Carlos, Kinini. If he's going to be in charge of all this, and if Don Carlos doesn't put a stop to this, then we'll put a stop to it ourselves, right?

In this little cake that is the port of Lazaro Cardenas, we are all going to be involved. I'm already making deals, my deals, and God willing, it's going to work for us and there will be enough for everybody. Nothing more, and with a commitment not to rob or extort. We'll dedicate ourselves to work. God bless you.

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