Wife of Zetas Faction Boss 'El Pawa' Arrested

 "MX" for Borderland Beat

Following the arrest of El Pawa's wife and the death of Enrique 'Kike Cardenas, security forces are on high alert for a violent response from organized crime.

Authorities arrested Erendira Citlali 'N' over the weekend for her alleged involvement in drug dealing. She is the wife of Humberto Alejandro Uribe Mendoza ('El Pawa'), a regional cartel leader in San Fernando, Tamaulipas. Investigators say he is part of the Zetas Vieja Escuela (ZVE) faction. Last month, Borderland Beat reported that authorities in the U.S. and Mexico had listed El Pawa among the top ten most-wanted criminals in Tamaulipas and South Texas.

Her arrest was announced hours after security forces seized several vehicles in Mendez, Tamaulipas. The units, as seen in the images published on social media, had the initials "CDG-Z" on them, suggesting that there could be a collaboration between a faction of the Gulf Cartel and the Zetas Vieja Escuela in this part of Tamaulipas.

There are rumors that the San Fernando ZVE cell headed by El Pawa has an alliance with Los Metros, the Gulf Cartel faction in Reynosa, to drive out the Gulf Cartel faction in Matamoros headed by Evaristo Cruz Sanchez ('El Vaquero') and the Northeast Cartel (CDN) in La Frontera Chica.

The vehicle had the insignia "CDG-Z", suggesting a possible alliance between a faction of the Gulf Cartel and the Zetas Vieja Escuela in Tamaulipas. There is no official confirmation of this alliance.

Kidnapping case 

El Pawa is also linked to the kidnapping and murder of Luciano Leal Garza (aged 14), who was kidnapped by cartel members in last July and found dead in October. Luciano was kidnapped in San Fernando's downtown after he was lured there thinking he was going to meet a girl. His family had several legitimate businesses in the area. His captors asked for a US$100,000 ransom, but his family was unable to pay the full amount.

His family was able to discover through their own investigation that cartel member José Guadalupe Flores Silguero ('El Camaron') ordered the kidnapping with El Pawa's approval. El Camaron was arrested in September 2020, but he refused to speak about the kidnapping. A month later, Luciano's cousin was arrested for the crime and gave investigators the location of Luciano's body. The teen was killed and stuffed in a suitcase. 

Sources: Infobae; Quinta Fuerza; Codigo Rojo; El Universal