Pedro Aviles Perez , "The Lion of the Sierras" , the first capo [boss] of Mexico drug trafficking

Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat From La Silla RotaRodrigo Gutierrez Gonzalez
Nicknamed "El Leon de la Sierra"(The Lion of the mountain range), he was the criminal mastermind  of several fearsome capos in the drug trade.

Translated for Borderland Beat by "Cruz"

Pedro Aviles, the first boss of the drug trade in Mexico 

Drug Trafficking has changed in the past years. Back then, the violence was unnecessary and the organizations were scarce.

Only 2 organizations that had been identified by the authorities existed in the 70´s, currently, they know of the existence of 9 cartels and 36 groups, cells, or gangs linked to some of these criminal organizations.

The 2 organizations involved in the drug trade, which back then were not even called cartels rather were known as "clicas"(clicks), they were the Gulf and Pacific organizations.

The latter was lead by Pedro Aviles Perez he was better known as "El Leon de la Sierra". He is considered the first boss of drug trafficking in Mexico.

He received his nickname because of his use of the mountain range within the Golden Triangle Chihuahua, Sinaloa and Durango) as one of his centers of operation, from where he turned the drug trade business in an organization modeled in sowing, cultivation, and distribution.

Aviles Perez was already trafficking cocaine into the United States from South America, even before Pablo Escobar was considered "El Patron del Mal"(the boss of evil).

 Pablo Escobar 

His contact in the United States was Max Cossman, "El rey del opio"(king of opium), who was a member of Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel gang of the Lucky Luciano family.

Luciano was the boss of the North American Italian mafia, a group that had been operating in Mexico since 1940.

Mexico turned into the ideal location for the sowing of drugs because of WWII. This was because heroin was used in hospitals during the war.

Lucky Luciano proposed to then-president Franklin Roosevelt that they impulse the cultivation in Mexico in order to supply the scarceness of heroin and morphine in the market due to the suspension of heroin supply from Turkey.

"El Leon de la Sierra" had under his command several men who years later would be fearsome drug lords.

In Pedro Aviles inner circle was Miguel Felix Gallardo, who would be the leader of the Guadalajara Cartel, the predecessor of the Pacific Cartel, who was nicknamed "El Jefe de Jefes"(boss of bosses/ main boss).

Also included was Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo, "Don Neto", the right-hand man of Felix Gallardo; Manuel Salcido Uzeta*, "El Cochiloco", one of closest men to Aviles Perez.

Not to mention Juan Jose Quintero Payan, "Don Juanjo", who in the future would be a co-founder of the Juarez Cartel; and Pablo Acosta Villarreal, known as "El Zorro de Ojinaga"(the fox of Ojinaga).

The last of "El Leon de la Sierra" inner circle was Juan José Esparragoza Moreno, "El Azul"(Blue). One of the co-founders of the Guadalajara Cartel and later Sinaloa Cartel.

Don Neto (Above left), El Azul (Above right), Don Juanjo (Below left), El Zorro de Ojinaga (Below Right)

In Pedro Aviles Peres inner circle consisted of Amado Carillo, who would be known as "El Señor de los Cielos"(the lord of the skies), founder and supreme leader of the Juarez Cartel. He and Felix Gallardo were amongst the first to start working with Pablo Escobar in Colombia.

"El Señor de los Cielos" 

As well as Rafael Caro Quintero, called the "El narco de narcos"(top drug lord), another founder of the Guadalajara Cartel with "Don Neto" and "El Jefe de Jefes".

And finally was Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, one of the founders of the Sinaloa Cartel, a criminal that has eluded the authorities for decades.

                                        Rafael Carro Quintero (Left) and Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada (Right)

Further down the totem pole and barely working as cultivators or hitmen, were Joaquin Guzman Loera, "El Chapo", his right-hand man Hector "El Guero" Palma, and the Arellano Felix and Beltran Leyva brothers.

                                   Hector "El Guero" Palma (Left) and Joaquin Guzman (Right)

               

                                

                                   CAF Francisco Javier Arellano Felix, Benjamin Arellano, Ramon Arellano

                                         

There was practically null violence back then. In fact, it was considered a threat towards the business.

The majority of the people in the Pacific Organization were from Sinaloa, but they were known as the Guadalajara Organization because it was their base of operations.

Even though they were low profile, hiding the opulence of drug trafficking was difficult as it always has been. The development of the city in the state of Jalisco proved the hand that the drug trade had in the state overlapped by the government.

The deal with the authorities had 2 rules: Aviles Perez would maintain the peace in the zones of operation and would circulate the money for the benefit of the local economy.

"El Leon de la Sierra" was murdered in a shootout in Culiacan, Sinaloa on September 15, 1978, during the celebration of a national holiday.

According to unofficial versions, Aviles Perez was a victim of a trap set up by the Mexican Army.

The drug lord was on his way to a meeting when he was stopped by military personnel who stripped him of his weapons and proceeded to murder him.

With the death of "El Leon de la Sierra", Felix Gallardo would take over the organizations leadership and thus create The Guadalajara Cartel, and surround himself with people such as: Amado Carrillo Fuentes, Héctor Luis Palma Salazar, Joaquín Guzmán Loera, Ismael Zambada García, Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo, Rafael Caro Quintero, Felipe Gurrola Gutierrez.

Additional info from Dossier Politico below

Translated by Jabali

 "As told by Damaso N"

El Cochiloco was a necrophiliac: he loved killing. He was very wicked, but also 'white'; elegant and with a hitch in his step, because of a gunshot wound he received while in his home land of San Ignacio.

This is how Damaso N. remembers him.

They also called him 'El Gallo de San Juan', because of the town he was from. Although his official name was Manuel Salcido Uzeta, he came to be known in law enforcement circles as Commander Martinez.

Damaso, a close collaborator of Rafael Caro Quintero, Ernesto Fonseca, and Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo, and that very same Cochiloco, remembers the style of that bloodthirsty capo, and gunman.

The death of El Cochiloco is related to the murder of 'El Chapo Caro', cousin of Rafael Caro Quintero, and Pedro Avlies, to whom Salcido made a promise - one that he kept with honor.

"Look, the death of El Chapo Caro was the consequence of a theft. In Colima, where El Cochiloco lived at the time, someone knocked over a boat, I believe the name of the boat was "El Chingonazo", that was loaded with 8 tons of coke".

Cochiloco - The colombians do not forgive

Between Manuel Salcido, son to Don Lalo Fernandez, and his friend and business partner, Chapo Caro, they stole 4 of the 8 tons of cocaine that the boat was transporting, which was headed for baja california.

"They stole the drugs, and let the boat take the rest to its' destination, which I believe was Ensenada, Baja California, and all 3 of them were dealt with as a result."

Damaso N. turns the wheels of his memory, making sure details are not lost to forgetfulness.. "You must know that in colombia, they teach loyalty to the point of suicide, from childhood--  because that decision over Chapo Caro came straight from colombia. and the same for el Cochiloco."

El chapo caro was shot to death while driving his pick up truck on Nicolas Bravo Street, in culiacan, while he was heading to Canadas. It was the beginning of the 80's, and the truck was burned during the killing, with him inside, shot to pieces.

--they say they threw grenades inside the cab

--after they unloaded on him, they set fire to him; they threw molotov cocktails in so no one would know what happened, but it was all because of that boat, El Chingorazo, that was knocked over in colima.

Thats what the word on the street was, and as for Cochi, they were hunting him down 2 or 3 years before a guy on a motorcycle caught up with him, one of those suicidal colombians, in guadalajara; him and a lieutenant from the mexican military that was with Cochiloco at the time.

They were in a car, on Adolfo lopez Mateos street, right there before you get to El Tucan, which was a restaurant and a night club, which belonged to Miguel angel felix gallardo. Now that was a badass dude, a dude with a mind operating on a whole other level.

And yes it's true, Cochiloco was a savage, but so were his brothers, you know, they were younger, and Gabino, they called them Los Cochitos. Gabino was killed by the military in Mazatlan; they did him dirty, they even cut his balls off.

--Damaso remembers the last time he saw Manuel Salcido, in a restaurant, in Guadalajara. He was Commander Martinez, and he was calling the shots at an operational checkpoint, surrounded by armed men and backed up by elements of the police, and the mexican military.

______________________________________________

--did you ever see him kill anyone?

--what i can tell you is that he avenged Pedro Aviles. he swore at his burial that he would avenge his death. and he did it.

Aviles, he was killed by jealousy, and envious people. he was a boss, a big boss. he was flying high. he was brave, and he paid top dollar to the government, so that they would leave him alone.

"Someone by the last name of Alcala was the boss of a group of federal police, and Pedrito gave him 20 thousand pesos, because he knew how to pay those people off, so that they would let him go about his business. Pedro was fast; he was a heavy boss, and unfortunately, there is also envy within the mafia to contend with".

And it was that very same Alcala who took it upon himself to kill Pedro. In Tepuche, while he was headed to Aguacalientita, a federal officer stopped him, in a place known as the "Y", and they shot him to death along with 3 other people.

"Thats what pissed off Cochiloco. I mean, it was a very shitty way for him to go. They were killed like dogs, because they took their weapons from them first." Thats why Cochiloco swore to avenge him, Pedro Avlies, he travelled to Michoacan with a group of men. He killed El Huarache there, a guy who was a federal snitch. And Alcala followed; because he had been in on Aviles getting killed. The group of sicarios went to Colima next, where El Cochiloco had a safe house; then, on the Guadalajara next, because Aviles had a block factory there.

Right as he was opening up his car, a LeBaron pulled up on him, and Cochiloco shot him with a FAL rifle. And when Cochiloco dropped him, he got out, got down on his knees, and cried. He lifted his rifle up, as if to signify a victory, and yelled out, "This is the other one that i promised you, Pedrito ! I made good on my promise! I don't owe anything now, you better not send me one of those people who are over there with you"

El Cochiloco, Manuel Salcido, Comandante Martinez. One and the same, and no one at the same time. He was responsible for 75 deaths. He liked palenques, and was known among the people as, both a generous criminal, and a bloodthirsty killer, who was extremely violent.

There are those who say that like Pedro Infante and Amado Carrillo, he is still alive, and still pays and takes la tambora to those who live in San Juan, his town. It was known while he was around that he had a double, someone who looked exactly like him; now people say he is still alive, not even because of the more than 50 gunshots he received that one October 9, 1991.