Chuy Sierra's ZVE Hitmen Kill Policewoman Outside of Reynosa, Tamaulipas

"HEARST" for Borderland Beat

Alleged Gulf Cartel hitmen attacked a group of state police officers, killing a 21-year old policewoman near Reynosa, Tamaulipas. Current social media rumors claim the gunmen from the attack were part of the Gulf Cartel subgroup Zetas Vieja Escuela (ZVE) and these hitmen report to Carlos Roel Collazo Rodríguez, alias “Chuy Sierra”.

Warning: Graphic images below this point.

The Attack

At approximately 6:15 pm on the evening of Sunday, May 1, 2022, three state police officers were attacked while they were carrying out routine patrols aboard a Dodge Charger patrol car. The attack took place around in Highway 97, near the town of Alfredo V. Bonfil, which is more often referred to as "Periquitos". 

The attacks came from a convoy of at least three SUVs, including a black GMC Yukon and a gray Toyota Tacoma, that were filled with heavily armed men, alleged Gulf Cartel (Cártel del Golfo, CDG) hitmen. The state police officers requested backup. 

The gunfire continued and the officers tried to return fire. One female state police officer was shot to death while trying to take cover behind her patrol vehicle. Another female officer sustained a gunshot wound to her leg while the male officer managed to sustain no serious injuries. 

The convoy of SUVs continued down Highway 97, heading south, after the shootout concluded. They were intercepted by state police officers who were responding to the request for backup near the exit for El Anacual. A second confrontation occurred and two of the SUVs were abandoned by the hitmen, who quickly fled the area. 

When officers inspected the abandoned SUVs, they found a kidnapping victim, who was still tied up, had been left by the hitmen in their rush to flee the area. 

The victim later told officers that he was a pollero, a term for a migrant smuggler who is hired to lead groups across the US Mexico border. The man said in order to operate he had to pay a fee to a cartel organization for permission to work in their territory. Specifics of which cartel group and why he was kidnapped (such as being kidnapped by a rival group or for recent non-payment of fees) are not detailed in articles covering this shooting. 

The police officer who died in the attack has since been officially identified by authorities as Raquel Ocaña Segura. She was 21 years old at the time of her death and originally from Altamira, Tamaulipas. 

The governor of Tamaulipas Cabeza de Vaca expressed his condolences to her family and wished the injured officer a speedy recovery. He also wrote on his Twitter account "I regret and condemn the aggression that occurred this afternoon against elements of the state police when they were doing their job and confronting alleged migrant smugglers. We will continue to act with firmness and determination against criminals."

The Cartel Aspect 

The CDG gunmen were alleged to belong to a Zetas Vieja Escuela(ZVE) group led by Carlos Roel Collazo Rodríguez, alias “Chuy Sierra” by multiple Twitter accounts, such as Antonio Aranda, Menny, and Loba Indomable. 

Despite having the “Zeta” in their name, ZVE groups have been working so closely with certain factions of the CDG over the last decade that the organization is considered by many to be a faction or subgroup within the CDG. 

This can become a point of confusion because in some parts of Tamaulipas, locals will refer to ZVE members simply as “Zetas” but in other parts, locals will call Cártel del Noreste (CDN) members “Zetas”. But it should be remembered that CDN and ZVE are rival organizations, despite both sharing roots within the original Zetas organization of Z40 and Lazca. 

Chuy Sierra is believed to mainly operate within the municipality of San Fernando, however, it is unclear if he has primary control over the municipality. 

In June 2021, Milenio newspaper reported that San Fernando municipality was controlled by the CDG - Matamoros faction, based on intelligence reports they received from the federal government. Other sources have reported that San Fernando is under the control of Zetas Vieja Escuela. This conflicting information may be due to the ZVE having an alliance with the Matamoros faction, as cited in the aforementioned Milenio report, so the plaza may be shared. 

Chuy Sierra’s criminal history and roots as a Zetas member is covered in this previous Borderland Beat story. Back in 2019, Chuy Sierra was alleged to have a commander under him named Carlos de la Cruz/ Antonio Sierra, alias “El Pawa”, who operated in San Fernando, with hitmen such as “El Puma”, “Nico” and “Guero Camaron” reporting to him. They also alleged that Jorge Alberto Banda Delgado, alias “La Burbuja” was working as his accountant/financial operator. How many of these men continue to work under him in the year 2022 is unclear.

ZVE gunmen who allegedly work for Chuy Sierra are filmed trying to free a member from police custody.

Recently, in March 2022, a group of gunmen who allegedly work for Chuy Sierra were filmed holding SSP officers at gunpoint in San Fernando, as they attempted to break out a cartel member who had been taken into custody. For more details on the break out attempt, please see this previous story.

Sources: Proceso, El Universal, Expreso, La Silla Rota, Notigape, Menny ALERTA DE RIESGO, Freelance para La AP, El Guzman, Gildo Garza MX, El Mañana, Loba Indomable, Tamaulipas RTC, La Voz del Pueblo