Throwback Series: 'El Chuta', the Paratrooper Who Became a Zetas Founder

"Morogris" for Borderland Beat (formerly "MX")

Chivis Note: This is the latest post from Borderland Beat contributor who calls himself "Morogris".  He is an excellent researcher and presents some interesting contributions.

Background and profile

In an era when the average lifespan of a fugitive drug cartel leader in Mexico has fallen rapidly, Jorge López Pérez ("El Chuta") has consistently challenged the trend and eluded capture. However, it does not seem like he has garnered the attention like other prominent drug lords despite being one of the early members of Los Zetas.

Details of El Chuta's early life are limited. He joined the Mexican Army on 1 October 1979, forming part of the Brigada de Fusileros Paracaidistas (English: Parachute Rifle Brigade). During his tenure in the military, he became a specialist in martial arts, parachuting, explosives and guerrilla warfare tactics.

His nickname, El Chuta, is common among paratroopers in Mexico. It is a play on words from the French word parachute. In less than a few years, the promising paratrooper unexpectedly deserted from the military on 17 September 1981.

El Chuta then joined the Juárez Cartel and was assigned to head drug trafficking operations in Cancún. He was part of a Quintana Roo-based cell headed by kingpin Alcides Ramón Magaña ("El Metro"). The group was informally known as Cártel del Sureste and/or Cártel de Cancún.

When Ramón Magaña was arrested in June 2001, his colleague Jesús Albino Quintero Meraz ("El Beto") contacted him about a new job offer and advised him to join the Gulf Cartel under kingpin Osiel Cárdenas Guillén. However, El Chuta moved to Veracruz and produced successful results as a independent drug trafficker.

After Quintero Meraz was arrested in 2002, he moved to Yucatán to manage Colombian narcotics along with several local smugglers. He fled to Tamaulipas in 2003 after the Mexican Army increased their efforts to apprehend him. Once in Tamaulipas, he was hired by Rogelio González Pizaña ("Z-2") and formally joined Los Zetas, the Gulf Cartel's newly formed paramilitary group that was originally composed of ex-commandos.

Due to his previous experience in the Juárez Cartel and his knowledge of drug operations in the area, El Chuta was assigned to coordinate drug trafficking activities for Los Zetas in the Riviera Maya, an area that extended from Cancún to Tulum.

This turf was a strategic reception area for Los Zetas because it allowed them to receive South American narcotics arriving through boats. The drugs were stored in Playa del Carmen and Cancún for further distribution. He was responsible for coordinating smuggling activities at the Cancún International Airport. 

According to security forces, El Chuta and other members of Los Zetas based in the Mexican states of Quintana Roo, Yucatán, Chiapas and Campeche received protection from corrupt municipal authorities and former members of the Juárez Cartel.

In Los Zetas, he reported directly to Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano ("Z-3"), who co-headed the criminal group with Miguel Treviño Morales ("Z-40"). In 2002, El Chuta and his colleague Jesús Enrique Rejón Aguilar ("El Mamito") were responsible for training new Zetas hires.

In 2009, he was cited as a regional leader of Los Zetas in the state of Coahuila, a turf he reportedly shared with Galindo Mellado Cruz ("Z-9"). That year Mexican federal authorities listed him as one of the leading fugitives in Los Zetas, along with Lazcano, Gustavo González Castro ("El Erótico"), Jesús Enrique Rejón Aguilar ("El Mamito") and Flavio Méndez Santiago.

In early 2012, El Chuta was in-charge of heading operations for the criminal group in northeastern Mexico and was paid directly by Lazcano. Among his colleagues in this turf were González Castro, José Alberto González Xalate ("El Paisa") and Salvador Alfonso Martínez Escobedo ("La Ardilla"). Intelligence reports state that El Chuta was a Lazcano loyalist and close confidant.

Charges and possible whereabouts

On 18 June 2003, Mexico's Attorney General's Office (PGR) placed an unspecified bounty on 31 members of Los Zetas, including El Chuta. Authorities stated that El Chuta was "highly dangerous", given his military background and his suspected role in homicides, drug trafficking, kidnappings, and carjackings

This announcement was made after the Specialized Unit Against Organized Crime (UEDO) identified him as a high-ranking member of Los Zetas following 14 March arrest of Cárdenas Guillén. Unlike other Zetas members who voluntarily requested their release from the military, El Chuta deserted and joined organized crime, which is considered high treason in a military court.

Online rumors abound of his current location and possibly alter identity. Rumors suggest that he travels often between Monterrey and Cancún, and that he spends a lot of time in Algeria (because Algeria does not have an extradition treaty with Mexico). This version suggest that El Chuta has a close business relationship with the Italian mob group 'Ndrangheta, who helped him move through Europe and settle in Algeria.

Ties between Los Zetas and the 'Ndrangheta was first uncovered in Italy through Operation Solare in 2008. El Chuta is not the only Zetas founder who was believed to be in Europe at some point. Rumors also suggest that Zetas members El Chocotorro, El Vera, and others were in Spain.

Others have suggested that El Chuta's name Jorge López Pérez is too generic, and that he is likely Proceso Arturo Muro González, an alleged Zetas member sanctioned under the Kingpin Act in 2010. Muro González was also in the military, is an expert in martial arts, and has facial similarities with El Chuta.

Unlike the rest of the early members of Los Zetas, who were arrested and/or killed over the years, El Chuta reportedly disappeared from public view. Mexican authorities believe that El Chuta is trying to live under a low-profile to avoid detection since he has a pending arrest warrant. He is one of the last standing fugitives from the early Zetas generation.

Sources and notes:

* Wikipedia article is under free domain
* Image released by the PGR in 2003
* Multiple sources, see here