Leader of Los Billys, El Billy Executed In Nuevo León

"HEARST" for Borderland Beat

Saúl Salinas González, alias “El Billy”, was found executed in Santa Catarina, Nuevo León. He was the alleged leader of “Los Billys”, a regional organized crime group.

In the early morning hours of December 27, 2021, El Billy was driving his white a 2019 or newer Volkswagen Jetta GLI sedan on 16 Oriente Street in the Adolfo López Mateos neighborhood of Santa Catarina, which is a city, in the state of Nuevo León. Santa Catarina is part of the greater Monterrey metropolitan area, located to the south of central Monterrey. 

When El Billy’s vehicle reached the intersection of Paseo Arbolado Oriente, at approximately 12:30 am, armed men in another vehicle opened fire on him. 

According to police officers that spoke to El Norte newspaper, the gunmen in the other car followed El Billy’s vehicle for several blocks, still firing, as he tried to drive away from his attackers. Billy’s vehicle eventually came to a stop and the armed men’s vehicle sped off in an unknown direction. 

El Billy was left with serious gunshot wounds, one of which was in his thorax region. A person tried to help El Billy, loading him into their black Honda CR-V SUV and driving him to receive emergency medical aid before police officers arrived on scene, according to an article by El Porvenir. 

He was driven to the IMSS Clinic 7 in nearby San Pedro Garza García, which is another section of the greater metropolitan Monterrey area. Upon his arrival to the clinic, however, El Billy was found to no longer be displaying vital signs. The body was found to have at least one gunshot wound to the thorax.

Whether the person who drove El Billy to the clinic was known (such as a fellow cartel member) or unknown to him is unreported. Later, investigators from the state Attorney General’s Office examined his remains, identified him as Saúl Salinas González, and seized his abandoned vehicle. 

El Billy’s vehicle was said to have Nuevo Leon state license plates and no vehicle theft reports associated with it. The vehicle of the deceased had gunshot damage on the front side, at the height of the windshield, as well as gunshot damage on the driver's side door, along with bloodstains on the interior.

According to El Norte, an informant said that the deceased allegedly led a criminal group, which is known as "Los Billys", “Los Billis” or "Cártel Independiente de Billi", that operates in parts of San Pedro Garza García, Santa Catarina and Garcia, which are all different sections of the greater Monterrey area. 

They are believed to be involved in crimes like extortion of local businesses (called de piso, or “floor fee” collection) as well as the sale of stolen vehicles and vehicle parts. Los Billys is considered by authorities to be an independent group, and they are just one of eleven other independent groups thought recognized by law enforcement as operating in the Monterrey region.

During an interview with El Norte earlier this year, an informant  said "Of all the independent groups the one that has been mentioned the most is 'Los Billys,' which started out in the Colonia Burócratas Municipales.”

The informant added that Los Billy spread to Canteras (a part of San Pedro) then into Santa Catarina and they recently expanded into Garcia, leaving a string of cartel executions in their wake.  

The group became large and influential enough to be recognized in news sources in the last few months of 2019.

According to Valor Tamaulipeco, the Northeast Cartel (Cártel del Noreste, CDN) began a campaign in the Monterrey area in 2019, telling all the local criminal groups to ally with them and pay a percentage of their profits to CDN, or be eliminated. Many small groups did not take CDN up on their offer “due to the ruthless nature of the cartel and predatory practices that left little or no profit for those who worked with them.”

However, CDN’s threat was not an empty one and a violent wave of executions against small groups began, which led many of them to form alliances amongst themselves. Los Billys, for example, allied with a local criminal group who followed El Totoy, giving themselves more of a fighting chance against the forces of CDN. 

Saúl Salinas González, aliases “El Billy”, “El Tumbado” and “El Chaparro”, was 31 years old at the time of his death and originally from the state of Tamaulipas.

El Billy had previously been arrested, back in February 2020, alongside his alleged girlfriend, Ana Luisa Garcia Duque, while he was driving in the eastern part of Santa Catarina. At first, the two were said to have tried to resist arrest but they were eventually subdued. 

At the time of the arrest, the couple was driving a white BMW sedan with Morelos state license plates. Reporting on the arrest is unclear as to whether authorities were intending to capture El Billy or if he was unintentionally arrested and his identity only learned after the fact. Security at key points within Santa Catarina was reinforced for fear that cartel roadblocks and attempts to break out El Billy from custody would occur.

Authorities released both El Billy and Ana shortly after the raid, as they were unable to gather enough evidence at the time to charge them, according to Valor Tamaulipeco.

Update 12/30/2021: Revised El Billy's car model from a "2017 Dodge Vision" to a "2019 or newer Volkswagen Jetta GLI sedan", Special thanks to commenter Elver for the revision.

Sources: El Norte, Posta, Telediario, Zocalo, El Porvenir, Noventa Grados   

Background Sources: El Porvenir, Valor Tamaulipeco Article 1, Article 2, El Universal