CDG Matamoros Part 15: Prelude to War

 "Itzli" for Borderland Beat. 

February to April 2023: La Güicha, El Tamal, El Man, Tony Tormenta Jr., El Caballero, Kidnapping in Matehuala, El Billetón, the status of El Contador, Balkys García, and rumblings of war. WARNING: GRAPHIC PHOTOS INCLUDED IN ARTICLE

Continued from Part 14: Infamy

La Güicha

Ciudad Mante, in southern Tamaulipas, was the site of a fierce conflict between “Escorpión 75” of the Matamoros faction and the Cártel del Noreste (CDN, Northeast Cartel) under Antonio “El Romeo” Romero Sánchez in the fall of 2021, although it apparently ended for unclear reasons, as discussed in Part 9.

On February 12, 2023, Luís “La Güicha” Yañez Álvarez (his alias alternately spelled “La Guicha” and “La Wicha”), said to be head of plaza in Ciudad Mante and responsible for ordering an attack against state police officers in June 2022, had been arrested, according to online reports from two days later. By February 18, a photograph was posted of his arrest and it was said that he had already been released from prison with the help of authorities that had been colluding with him.

A month later, previous claims regarding the cartel landscape in Ciudad Mante were repeated with additional details. While “La Güicha” is still presented as head of plaza in Ciudad Mante, he is said to operate under the aforementioned “Escorpión 75”, Jonathan Damián Castro Hernández, who is possibly a regional leader in southern Tamaulipas based on circumstantial evidence. In turn, “Escorpión 75” is said to work under the orders of Jorge Luís Chabrand Sáenz, a cartel linked business-man from Ciudad Mante who is said to have moved to Brownsville, Texas in 2011 and is the father-in-law of Mante politician Carlos Santiago González. 

El Tamal

In mid-April 2023 a protest occurred in Ciudad Mante claiming that members of Guardia Estatal (State Guard) had taken two young women two days prior and their whereabouts were unknown thereafter. According to online information, the women were connected to a local member of the Matamoros faction, Jorge “El Tamal” Moreno, Johana Alejandra Moreno Lumbreras being his daughter and Petra Alicia Rodríguez Velázquez his sister-in-law.

“El Tamal” was mentioned in August 2021 as working with Nelson “El Luchador” Garza Lozano to strengthen the Matamoros faction’s presence in Ciudad Mante, which was a month prior to the campaign of “El Romeo”, discussed in Part 9. He was also accused of kidnapping the owner of a transport company in January 2023.

It should be noted that the same day that the women disappeared, April 12, 2023, the Tamaulipas state government began offering a $250,000 peso reward for information leading to the arrest of “El Luchador” and a $300,000 peso reward for Cynthia Deyanira Garza Vázquez, who had been accused online of being in charge of kidnapping under “La Güicha”.

The fate of the missing women does not appear to have been reported, however, a woman’s mutilated body was found along the Ciudad Mante-Llera highway on April 18, 2023, which some speculated might be one of the missing women.

The Cousin of El Man

Eighty-five miles north of Ciudad Mante is the capital city of Tamaulipas, Ciudad Victoria, who’s head of plaza, Odilón “Tango 1” Hernández Valdivia, was killed in December 2021 under unclear circumstances, as discussed in Part 10. It was reported that his brother, “Tango 2”, took his place as head of plaza thereafter and it should be noted that both “Tango 1”, and “Tango 2” were said to be leaders of the Los Espartanos while each were head of plaza in Ciudad Victoria. Although Los Espartanos largely disappeared following the arrest of Evaristo “El Vaquero” Cruz Sánchez, discussed in Part 8, it appears that a cell continued to operate in Ciudad Victoria, at least through early 2022.

It should also be mentioned that rumors from September 2022 indicated that the Matamoros faction was planning to place Arturo “El Cheke” as head of plaza in Ciudad Victoria, apparently to replace “Tango 2”, but it is not clear if that actually happened.

On March 17, 2023, the dismembered body of a woman was found along the highway north of Ciudad Victoria that runs to Monterrey, Nuevo León and two additional locations. It appears that messages were left at each location, all signed by “Terco” of the CDN.

Combined with later detailed reporting, a message directed towards “Man” stating that the CDN is everywhere, marking territory, was found with her head and flayed face at 7:30 AM on a bridge at the 15 kilometer mark in the municipality of Güémez (which corresponds to just north of Marcial Guerrero but it appears the bridge referred to is the one over the river to the south, near Tierra Nueva).

Her body found at 8:50 AM in a Ford Expedition parked by the plaza in El Barretal along with a pink poster board which said in part “Omar Martínez Martínez alias el man here is your ‘pinche’ cousin”.

In Padilla municipality, part of her legs at 9:30 AM at kilometer 25 (apparently near the junction with highway 83) with an orange poster board, which is unreadable in online pictures, and the rest of her legs around 10:00 AM near the bridge where her head was found.

Thereafter, a message appeared online claiming to be connected to this event, signed by “Commander Terko Special Forces CDN Operations Group Texas”. In the message, it also repeats the claims that the woman is a cousin of Omar “El Man” Martínez Martínez, with “El Man” being identified as a member of the CDG from Abasolo and currently a commander in Jiménez. The cousin, named Juanita, was allegedly sent by him to infiltrate the CDN in the “Texas zone”, which “Terko” is in charge of. It was further claimed that Juanita had previously been sent to Reynosa to find information about the leadership there, as “El Man” was said to be planning to turn on them. 

The legitimacy of the message is unclear. Reference to “Operativo Texas” and the “Texas zone” seem out of place in the southern part of Tamaulipas and there does not appear to be any other sources referring to this area as being called Texas, though this does not inherently rule out the possibility. 

The allegations of Juanita being previously sent to Reynosa is the more problematic part. It has been frequently reported that both Jiménez and Abasolo were areas under the control of the Centro faction of the CDG, led by Pablo Misael “El Mezqui” Ramos Lara, code name “Pantera 24”. Furthermore, as discussed in Part 12, the Centro faction collapsed and their territory was absorbed as the Matamoros faction hunted down “Pantera 24” in August 2022. From the online message, it can be inferred that “El Man” is working under Los Metros, as it states that he is plotting against the leadership in Reynosa, which is difficult to explain in any scenario in which “El Man” was working under the Centro faction or Matamoros faction.

Tony Tormenta Jr.

In late March 2023, pictures of a vest with a patch marked Grupo de Operaciones Cercanas a Ezequiel Cardenas (Operations group close to Ezequiel Cardenas) spread online, leading to a number of questions about the circumstances of its discover, as it was believed to be connected to Ezequiel "El Junior" Cárdenas Rivera.

“El Junior” is one of three known children of Antonio Ezequiel “Tony Tormenta” Cárdenas Guillén, and he is sometimes referred to as “Tony Tormenta Junior”. Little was known about him prior to his arrest in November 2011, during the leadership of Mario “M-1” Cárdenas Guillén, a year after his father was killed. It is unclear how long he was imprisoned, although he reappeared online in November 2016, with posts alleging that he was extorting a number of businesses without the knowledge of “El Contador”, who had secured leadership of the Matamoros faction by that time.

Thereafter, “El Junior” largely faded from view again, although some sources would claim he founded the reorganized Los Escorpiones, as discussed in Part 5 and being mentioned among the “narco-juniors” of Matamoros, discussed in Part 8, along with his cousins Enrique Homero “Kike” Cárdenas Salinas and Osiel “Osielillo” Cárdenas Jr.

In the wake of the appearance of the G.O.C.E.C. vest, it is believed that “El Junior” leads a kidnapping group in Matamoros. According to a version of events, “El Junior” was drunk that evening in March 2023 and was shooting guns in the air on a dirt road outside Matamoros. When authorities arrived to investigate the source of the gunfire, a clash ensued and one of the individuals accompanying “El Junior” was killed. Although it is unclear if “El Junior” is of any significance in the Matamoros faction outside of being part of the Cárdenas family, his return to the public eye has led to his arrest being sought. 

Arrest of El Caballero 

All too often, important cartel figures remain in the shadows for years with little documentation, only to have enough information to reconstruct their background following a major event, such as their arrest. Such is the case of Juan de Dios “El Caballero” Hernández Ledezma, code name “Ciclón 126”.

While it is almost certain that he was part of the Matamoros faction prior, it appears that “El Caballero” was first mentioned in reporting from February 2019, which placed him as head of plaza in Valle Hermoso, as discussed in Part 6, although only his alias was known at the time. Over the next few years he would only be mentioned in passing in July 2021 amidst the fallout of the Matamoros faction’s attack on Reynosa, discussed in Part 9, and in June 2022 among rumors that he was supporting a pending attack on Reynosa, discussed in Part 11. 

Information from the DEA that began appearing online in March 2023 identified “El Caballero” in association with Río Bravo, with Francisco Javier “El Borrado” Sierra Angulo identified with Valle Hermoso. From this, it can be inferred that at some point, likely after the death of former Río Bravo head of plaza Edgar “El Maestrín” Valladares Hernández, discussed in Part 9, “El Caballero” was transferred from Valle Hermoso to become head of plaza in Río Bravo.

A month after the Matamoros faction’s infamous kidnapping of Americans and false rumors regarding the death of José Alberto “La Kena” García Vilano, both discussed in Part 14, the city of Río Bravo began heating up. On March 16, a shootout between the Guardia Estatal and cartel members that spanned the city resulted in the death of an officer. Eight days later, members of the Guardia Estatal were met by a large cartel convoy as they were arresting suspected cartel members, who they released due to the officers being overpowered.

While some sources claim that “El Caballero” was directly linked to these events in Río Bravo, others claimed that he had been transferred from Río Bravo sometime after August 2022 to become head of plaza in Abasolo and Jiménez after the fall of the Centro Faction, discussed in Part 12. Alternatively, it is possible that the transfer took place following the March events in Río Bravo, which would have put him at increased risk of being arrested if he was actively head of plaza in Río Bravo at the time.

Regardless, members of the Guardia Estatal arrested “El Caballero” and seven others, who were in possession of weapons and a hand grenade, on April 12, 2023 in the small town of Allende, located about halfway between Abasolo and Jiménez. Among those arrested with “El Caballero” was Daniel Prieto, brother of “El Leoncio”, who was said to be head of plaza in Padilla. Following the arrest of “El Caballero”, it was reported that Yahir was head of plaza in Abasolo and Jiménez.

Kidnapping in Matehuala

Two passenger vans carrying 21 passengers, along with the driver of each vehicle, were kidnapped on Highway 57, near the town of Guadalupe de los Faz, north of Matehuala, San Luis Potosí in early April 2023. While one of the drivers would be found dead days later during government search operations, the others were found alive and additional individuals that had been kidnapped as well were discovered; 27 Mexicans and 59 migrants from countries such as Venezuela, Honduras, and El Salvador. 

It was initially reported that they were held for ransom by members of the Cártel del Golfo (CDG, Gulf Cartel) without specifying the faction, however, as discussed in Part 13, the Matehuala area was reported to be under the control of René “El Gordo” Villareal García of the Matamoros faction. However, some reports about the kidnapping would focus on Los Alemanes instead and reporting would expose their operations and family structure. Later reporting indicated the criminal group behind the kidnappings was based out of Doctor Arroyo, Nuevo León, territory controlled by “El Ruso”, as discussed in Part 13.

In the wake of the kidnapping victims being found, federal authorities conducted a surprise operation to investigate the Matehuala municipal police department. During the search, drugs were found at the police department, leading to the director and three agents being arrested Ivan Estrada Guzmán, the municipal president of Matehuala, was immediately informed by federal authorities about the situation. Less than a month later, recordings of Ivan Estrada Guzmán admitting to having links to a cartel spread online, further demonstrating the deep ties the Matamoros faction has with the local government.

Arrest of El Billetón

Ricardo “El Billetón” Cortes Mateos, a notable member of the Matamoros faction, was arrested in Xilitla, San Luis Potosí, in the far southeast part of the Huasteca region of the state, near the border with Queretaro, on April 18, 2023.

Information from the DEA that began appearing online in March 2023 identified “El Billetón” as one of the main drug distributors in the Matamoros area. However, at the time of his arrest it was reported that he was a financial operator for the Matamoros faction. In the wake of the arrest of “El Billetón” it appeared that the municipal president of Xilitla would be investigated over possible ties he had to the captured cartel member.

The Status of El Contador

José Alfredo “El Contador” Cárdenas Martínez, the longtime leader of the Matamoros faction, was arrested in February 2022, as discussed in Part 10. A month later, the United States Department of Justice announced that “El Contador” had been indicted in the Southern District of Texas, based in Houston, for which his extradition from Mexico was sought. 

In late April 2023, it was reported that a federal judge temporarily granted “El Contador” legal protection from being extradited. The case was scheduled to proceed on May 19, 2023,allowing the judge sufficient time to review any previous filings that “El Contador” had made and, if so, the prior rulings would be evaluated. However, his current legal status is unclear as there does not appear to be any reporting about the May hearing.

Balkys García 

Following the third arrest of “El Contador”, discussed in Part 6, it was alleged that he continued to lead the Matamoros faction from prison and his girlfriend, Balkys (often spelled online Balquis) Marlene García Leal, was one of the individuals that relayed his orders to the cartel, as discussed in Part 7. The same allegations have been made during the fourth arrest of “El Contador”, with it specifically being said that Balkys García is the intermediary between “El Contador” and “El Kena”.

With regards to Balkys García, a woman with the exact same name in full is listed as having graduated the University of Matamoros in 2012 with a degree in dental surgery, although it is not entirely certain that they are the same person. If online rumors are correct, her relationship with “El Contador” dates back to at least 2013, the year in which an alleged daughter of theirs was born. In 2019, Balkys García was a party along with “El Contador” in case 185/2019, which was filed immediately after the third arrest of “El Contador”.

While Balkys García has been mentioned online as the girlfriend of “El Contador”, it appears that United States authorities identify her as his wife and her sister is pictured as well, although it is unclear if she is suspected of cartel activities. According to more recent rumors, at an unspecified point in time “El Contador” was moved to a different prison and he is now more free to give orders to “El Kena”, although it is unclear if he is doing so directly or continues to use Balkys García as an intermediary.

The Rumblings

Ever since Américo Villarreal Anaya took office as governor of Tamaulipas in October 2022, there has been questions as to how long the ceasefire within the CDG factions would last, as the situation was described as “a ticking time bomb ready to explode”, especially after the Matamoros faction decimated the Centro faction. It should be noted that recent reporting indicates that the “truce of peace” within the CDG, discussed in Part 9, was negotiated in Tampico, with Héctor Crescencio “R3” de León Fonseca, leader of the CDG del Sur faction, being key in Los Metros and the Matamoros faction reaching an agreement. 

Thus, rumors of growing tension between the Matamoros faction and CDG del Sur was troubling. In October 2022 it was alleged that the CDG del Sur faction was secretly involved in the increasing threat of the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) that was discussed in Part 12. On February 1, 2023, it was said that “R3” had seized properties in Tampico belonging to Osiel Cárdenas Guillén, which was seen as a declaration of war that would be echoed two weeks later. It was further claimed that the leader of the CDG del Sur faction before “R3”, Marco Antonio “El Toñín” Haro Rodríguez, code name “R2”, was no longer in prison and was plotting to retake power, possibly with the help of the Matamoros faction.

On February 13, 2023, a custom armored vehicle, which are called “monstruos”, was spotted in the streets of Empalme, located between Río Bravo and Matamoros, which was believed to indicate war between the Matamoros faction and Los Metros was breaking out, yet the absence of conflict into April left the sighting of a monstruo unexplainable. A reader’s comments left in Part 5 and Part 6 indicated that “La Kena” and César “El Primito” Morfín Morfín, leader of Los Metros, had recently reached an agreement (“a couple months at most”), allowing the Matamoros faction into the eastern part of Reynosa, specifically La Zenith, Juárez, Almendros, Balcones de Alcalá, and La Joya districts. 

For the most part there is a lack of other sources making similar claims, however, it was alleged in late April that Los Escorpiones kidnapped two individuals in Rincón de las Flores, south of Reynosa, which seems unlikely to have occurred without resistance from Los Metros unless they were already allowed in a nearby area. Thus, one should consider the possibility that in the early part of 2023 the Matamoros faction was allowed to operate in territory controlled by Los Metros in an effort to avoid war.

On March 21, 2023, reports began emerging that cartel members had destroyed state highways in the municipalities of Jiménez, San Carlos, Burgos, San Nicolás, and Méndez overnight. The exact points where destruction took place is unclear, although Tamaulipas State Highway 13 was specifically mentioned. It would be said online that the Hidalgo faction of the CDG/Columna Armada was responsible, in an effort to impede CDN operations from entering the area. This somewhat falls in line with the Operativo Texas rumors that was discussed earlier, yet this is quite a bit farther north of the area where the cousin of “El Man” was dismembered. Furthermore, available information points to the municipalities where the destruction occurred to be under control of the San Fernando branch of the Zetas Vieja Escuela (ZVE), also known as Los Sierra, which opens the possibility that there were other motivations for the destruction besides impeding the CDN.