CDG Tamaulipas: The story of "Juan Perros", the hated leader

Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat  Infobae and Milenio

The story of "Juan Perros": the hated drug lord ...Accused of killing 5 soldiers and massive amount of migrants...

In August 2013, federal authorities captured Mario Armando Ramírez Treviño, then identified as the leader of the Gulf Cartel, which operates mainly in Tamaulipas, northern Mexico.

Juan Manuel Rodríguez García or Juan Manuel Rodríguez Larios “Juan Perros”, immediately assumed command of the organization, although he was vehemently not recognized by the different factions of the organization.  

He immediately ordered the massive kidnappings of migrants to join the gang to so they could have a majority.

“The detainee was responsible for the transfer of drugs, money and weapons through the border bridges, not only from his own organization, but he also charged other criminal groups who wanted to use the Tamaulipas border.

"There are indications that this individual ordered massive kidnappings of undocumented immigrants, whom he forced to work for his group or otherwise he ordered them murdered,” said authorities after his arrest.

The nine months that Juan Perros was identified as head of the Gulf cartel, made Tamaulipas a hell.  Bullets flew in different cities where battles were fought between the dissatisfied factions, the forces of the States and the rival cartel of Los Zetas.

Juan Perros sought to eliminate the presence of Los Zetas from San Fernando, Ciudad Victoria, Guerrero and Nuevo Laredo, but due to the lack of resources to combat them, he tried to get some of his cells to change sides to help him fight the members of the Gulf cartel who disagreed with his command but he failed.

Then he began to support the cells that supported him with money, weapons and vehicles, but he was also wanted by the State, since he was accused of the death of five elements of the Army, therefore, he began to use extreme violence to “eliminate” enemies and  those who failed in accordance with his operations.

Juan Manuel Rodríguez was arrested on May 25, 2014 at a hotel in San Pedro Garza García, in Nuevo León, when he was with his wife and children; he had arrived fleeing from the municipality of Río Bravo.

He was captured without a single shot being fired.

In accordance with criminal case 41/2014 , the then Attorney General of the Republic (PGR), through the Specialized Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime Investigation (SEIDO), managed to prove that “Juan Perros” was the regional leader of the cartel of the Gulf in the border cities of Reynosa and Río Bravo, Tamaulipas.

The drug trafficker's presentation was done in the 'Chapo' Guzmán style, which they did not present to the media as normal but they allowed them to take photographs while they transferred him.

Although the Mexican government indicated that his capture was due to intelligence work, versions indicated that it had been the dissatisfied groups of the Gulf cartel who had given clues to the authorities about the whereabouts of Juan Perros, who had fled to Nuevo León in an attempt for keeping low profile and thus evading the authorities and  enemies.

He was sentenced in 2018 to 33 years for crimes of organized crime; carrying firearms and possession of cartridges for the exclusive use of the armed forces; and against health (drug dealing in the hypothesis of possession of cocaine hydrochloride for commercial purposes in its sales variant).