CDN Hitman Beheaded By CDG In Dr. Coss, Nuevo León

"HEARST" and "Itzli" for Borderland Beat  

A late night Gulf Cartel battle against hitmen from the Northeast cartel resulted in the capture and beheading of at least one hitman, in Dr. Coss, in the state of Nuevo León.

The Battle 

At approximately 11:00am on the morning of January 14, 2022, the Army (SEDENA) base in the city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas received a report of a decapitated body and a burned out vehicle which were discovered on the highway, across the state border in Nuevo León.

The discovery was made near Highway 33, near the town of Las Comitas which is located in the municipality of Dr. Coss. This municipality is right next to the northwestern panhandle of Tamaulipas, a region called “La Frontera Chica” or the little border (also known as La Ribereña), a lucrative drug corridor with many entry points, both official and unofficial, into the United States.

From the beginning of Los Zetas splitting from the Gulf Cartel (Cártel del Golfo, CDG) this area has been near-constantly contested and in the last few years  the Northeast cartel (Cártel del Noreste, CDN), which derives from Los Zetas, has waged offensives against the Los Metros La Ribereña faction of the Gulf cartel.

The SEDENA soldiers were sent out to check on the validity of the reported human remains and vehicle.

When soldiers arrived in the area they found a burnt, heavily damaged vehicle, which upon closer inspection, had custom fitted armor plating and was, presumably, designed for narco battles. A decapitated human body had been splayed across the hood of the vehicle. The head of the body was found to have been placed in the interior of the vehicle, on the passenger seat.  The area was cordoned off by the soldiers and the body was sent for medical autopsy.

Later, social media photos and videos taken by cartel hitmen involved in the battle began appearing online. In particular, a series of photos and a video taken by alleged CDG gunmen who captured a CDN hitman have circulated online.

Warning: Graphic content in video.

Video Source:  El Blog de Los Guachos

In the video seen above, which mysteriously has no sound, a CDN hitman, who is bleeding out and close to death, wriggles back and forth while appearing to speak as CDG gunmen stand over him. At one point, one of the CDG men needlessly gives the dying man a hard kick to the head.

The Cartel Landscape of the Area

La Frontera Chica and surrounding municipalities present an extreme value to any Mexican cartel group and therefore is heavily contested. With only two official ports of entry into the United States, this long stretch of border with numerous rural roads allows for the smuggling of drugs and immigrants into the United States, as well as the smuggling of weapons into Mexico. Additionally, a number of oil pipelines run through the area, allowing for supplemental income from fuel theft. 

La Frontera Chica has historically been under the control of the CDG, specifically Los Metros - La Riberena factions. Most reporting focuses on the CDN expansion campaign from their homebase city of Nuevo Laredo lies, in the north west however their attempted incursions into “La Frontera Chica” region also tends to come from the municipalities south of Frontera Chica, in Nuevo León.

The overall leader of Metros La Ribereña faction is believed to be César Morfín Morfín, alias “El Primito” while the overall leader of CDN is believed to be Juan Gerardo Treviño Chávez, alias “El Huevo”. But who are the leader’s lieutenants that are involved in these specific areas?

In 2019 one of CDN’s top lieutenants Héctor Raúl Luna Luna, alias “El Tory” sometimes spelled “El Tori”, was released from prison and he was tasked with leading an expansion campaign into Nuevo León by El Huevo, who he allegedly directly reports to. El Tory’s forces are believed to be based out of the city of General Treviño, Nuevo Leon. One of El Tory’s subordinates believed to be engaged in this campaign was Elder Heriberto Marroquín Lorenzana, alias “El Canelo”, until Canelo’s arrest in May 2021.

Ricardo Chapa, alias “El Ricky”, a CDN regional group leader, allegedly has led groups of hitmen on attempted incursions into Miguel Alemán and Camargo municipalities (with the towns of Comales and El Azúcar) in Tamaulipas. El Ricky is said to have been part of the cartel since the days of Los Zetas and has extensive firsthand knowledge of La Frontera Chica.

On November 24 2020, the Secretary of Public Security (SSP) Francisco Leónides Cruz for the municipality of Dr. Coss was abducted from his vehicle by force by a group of CDN hitmen. Both were later executed and their remains were dumped on a gap by the roadside. It was reported that a CDN regional group leader José Guillermo Leyva, alias “El Amarillo” was ultimately responsible for the killing of Leónides. El Amarillo was described in January as directing CDN offensives into Tamaulipas via Nuevo Leon. 

Following the Leónides killing, it is rumored that the CDN moved El Amarillo out of the Dr Coss area and instead named him head of plaza for the municipalities of Guerrero and Mier. He allegedly has connections to the mayor of Miera, Sonia Yadira de León Pardo via his romantic partner and fellow CDN compatriot Cristina Yadhira, alias "La Cochiloca", who is said to be a personal friend of mayor Yadira.

El Amarillo and El Ricky were said to have co-led CDN forces in a battle in March 2021 in Doctor Coss against the CDG, as previously covered by MX. The battle was said to have been so large that 5 monstruos, which translates as monsters, meaning monster trucks specially armored for narco battles, were discovered abandoned, having been left destroyed.

Speculation and Analysis

Los Metros faction of the CDG has traditionally controlled Highway 40, from Reynosa into the General Bravo/China area of Nuevo León. Borderland Beat’s Itzli speculates that while sources do not clearly state it, it appears that the killing of Leónides in November marked a turning point, after which CDN gained an upper hand in the Doctor Coss area.

 

The redeployment of El Amarillo to Guerrero can be seen as one of two possibilities:

The killing of Leónides led to El Amarillo being more publicly known and, therefore, his continued presence in the area increased the possibility of arrest. 

Or on the other hand, CDN may have seen this as a tipping point in the war for control of Doctor Coss and the “victory” of El Amarillo in it merited him a promotion to plaza head in Guerrero, where possibly a strong commander is needed in order to continue CDN’s push into the Frontera Chica. There is also the possibility that both of these were factors in his redeployment.

 

In analyzing maps of the Nuevo León and Tamaulipas border region, it appears that Doctor Cross is of major strategic importance to CDN as it connects to La Canela and Comales, two small towns in Tamaulipas along Highway 33 and Highway 63. These towns are reportedly under CDN control and can be used as launching points for eventual attacks on CDG forces in Camargo.  

 

With this in mind, one can take the video and social media posts as being important to the CDG as it demonstrates that the war for Doctor Coss is not over. By sharing them, they can rally morale for future counter attacks against CDN.

Warning: Graphic photos below this point. 

Updated 1/16/2022: Added Specualtion and Analysis section by Itzli. 

Sources: Milenio, El Norte, ABC Noticias, TeleDiario, Tribuna, Debate, El Porvenir, Dominion Medios

Photo Credits: Vigilante Huaste, Loba Indomable, Tamaulipas RTC, El Blog de Los Guachos  

Background Sources: Metatube, Omnia, Grillonautas, 20 Minutos, Globe Live Media, Jornada