Grupo Sombra: The Cartel Group that Unleashed War in Veracruz

Yaqui for Borderland Beat from: infobae

    Who is the "Grupo Sombra" a delinquent cell that unleashed the war in Veracruz ?

"Grupo Sombra", a criminal franchise of the Gulf Cartel in the northern part of the State of Veracruz, has operated in the entity for about three years, and until recently it was also believed that they maintained an alliance with the CJNG.

They appeared in early 2017, and apparently also claim to have become "defenders" of the people.

However, the dispute for the plaza of Veracruz could generate war between Cartel del Golfo and CJNG.

Peace is at risk. In less than two years, drug trafficking has placed Veracruz on the lists of the most dangerous states in Mexico. But, it does not take long investigations to conclude who have been the main actors of the crimes related to drugs and the disputes for the plaza.

"The revenge will cover northern Veracruz", stated one of the messages, where in the municipality of Naranjos, the remains of a dismembered person inside a black plastic bag were recently abandoned. Next to it, was a message warning their "rivals" not to step into the territories/plazas that they consider theirs.

"The plazas are already taken, this is one of the first warnings, if you  get into our territories , do not be surprised if we do the same. Do you think we are men or children?" , the green card was signed by this delinquent cell that emerged three years ago, "Grupo Sombra".

The finding of the body was made by neighbors nearby, who sadly have become accustomed to the violence.

According to figures from Semáforo Veracruz, in February 19 homicides were committed , with Coatzacoalcos being the most dangerous municipality in the state.


"Grupo Sombra" , a group of outliers formerly belonging to other criminal groups:

Formed in the first semester of 2017,  Grupo Sombra arrived to stay in Veracruz. Established in municipalities such as Tuxpan, Poza Rica, Coatzintla and Tihuatlán , drug traffickers threatened policemen and criminals alike: "no one can get into our territories," they said.

The group, which was integrated by members of the Gulf Cartel, escalated the violence in the north of the state, but at the same time protected the towns people.  On Christmas 2017, in central cities such as Tuxpan and Poza Rica,  they handed out dinners and drinks on behalf of the "Special Forces Grupo Sombra" in unmarked trucks and combis.

The story was similar in October 2018, when the victims of torrential rains in different municipalities of Veracruz were in need, the criminal group handed out bales of clothes accompanied by the message: "This is for the people of our town. You are not alone, we are with you" Sincerely, Grupo Sombra" the message read.

In 2018, the Grupo Sombra, starred in one of the most violent scenes related to drug trafficking. It was the beheading of "Comandanta Paty" , whom they identified as responsible for planning kidnappings in different municipalities of Veracruz for the Los Zetas Cartel.

The woman who had perpetrated crimes in Ozumala, Pánuco and Tuxpan was held captive by three men. In the video recordings broadcast on social media networks, the woman is shown on the floor, face down and blindfolded, when one of the alleged members of Grupo Sombra takes her head and  decapitates her with a knife.

That same year, the Office of the Prosecutor announced that several members of said criminal cell were detained by elements of the Public Security Secretariat for crimes of kidnapping, extortion and homicides.

Currently, the criminal organization operates in states such as Veracruz, Hidalgo, Tamaulipas and San Luis Potosí, so it is in dispute with the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) and Los Zetas.