Local Gangs Unite to Fight the CJNG for Control of Poza Rica, Veracruz

"Morogris" and "HEARST" for Borderland Beat

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) is in competition with multiple local gangs for control of Poza Rica, a city in northern Veracruz.

These criminal groups have infiltrated the local government and businesses in the area, and at times, they even meddle in local elections and political parties to exert control over the territory.

El Coco, the local CJNG Leader

Locals and journalists, silenced by cartel violence, claim that one of the men heading this gang war is El Coco. He is the leader of the CJNG plaza in Poza Rica.

El Coco is a former subordinate of Ciro [or Cirilo] Gonzalez Perez, known as Z-37, El Puchini, or El Perrito de Evelio, who was the former leader of the Zetas in northern Veracruz, Hidalgo, Guanajuato, and San Luis Potosí.

Gonzalez Perez was murdered in a Tamaulipas prison by the Northeast Cartel (CDN) last April. He was once a close associate of Zetas founder Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano, alias El Lazca or Z-3.

El Coco is alleged to have betrayed Los Zetas and joined the CJNG. The factions of Zetas deserters were derogatorily referred to as Los Torcidos by their rivals.

According to citizen journalists, El Coco controls the rural areas of Poza Rica, Coatzintla, Papantla, Espinal, Tihuatlán, and La Concha.

Who Is El Goyo?

According to Veracruz Governor Cuitláhuac García, Gregorio Gómez Martínez, also known as "El Goyo," is the primary adversary of El Coco in northern Veracruz.

El Goyo, a former member of the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) and ex-mayor of Tihuatlán municipality, is currently incarcerated for homicide. Despite being in prison, he allegedly continues to manage a criminal network through intermediaries.

Veracruz journalists say that El Goyo started his criminal career as a money launderer for Los Zetas and Grupo Sombra before becoming an "independent" cartel boss.

El Goyo's rivalry with the CJNG is now spilling over into local elections, with both El Goyo and El Coco trying to exert their influence in the political realm. El Goyo is said to have some control over the local media due to his ownership of Vanguardia de Veracruz, a newspaper based in Poza Rica.

Long before El Coco became involved with the CJNG, El Goyo held the position of plaza boss in Poza Rica. Local journalists believe that his political affiliations with federal deputy Rogelio Franco Castán and former Veracruz Governor Miguel Angel Yunes Linares played a significant role in consolidating his influence in the region.

The feud between El Coco and El Goyo escalated dramatically when El Goyo's gang allegedly abducted three young relatives of El Coco. In retaliation, the CJNG struck back, assassinating El Goyo's associate Fernando Pérez Vega, also known as El Pino, who was a prominent leader of Los Pelones, along with his family.

Gangs Unite to Expel CJNG from Poza Rica

Following the murders, the Governor disclosed that criminal factions in the Poza Rica region formed an alliance with a common objective: to target the CJNG and force them out of the area.

During this period, a trusted lieutenant of El Coco, who was well-acquainted with his boss, decided to emulate him and switched sides, initiating a series of clashes, killings, and assaults on bars associated with the CJNG in Poza Rica. These developments have contributed to an escalation in violence and instability in the region.

In a revenge attack, El Coco allegedly pursued his former associated and murdered him.

As of 2023, the Governor of Veracruz confirms that El Coco is in hiding, and one of his trusted lieutenants, Comandante 67, has assumed a leadership role.

However, El Coco's rivals have established a new group called Los Tercios (The Thirds) or as Los Alamilla. Their primary objective is to confront and combat the CJNG in the region of Poza Rica.

Los Tercios were once rival to the Veracruz-based gang known as Grupo Sombra. Grupo Sombra, composed of deserters from the Gulf Cartel, has historically controlled the municipalities of Tuxpan, Poza Rica, Coatzintla, and Tihuatlán. Both Grupo Sombra and Los Tercios, who sometimes collectively call themselves Los Guerreros, are involved in a power struggle with the CJNG as they vie for dominance in the region.

Apart from drug trafficking, financing politicians, and money laundering, the CJNG cell in Poza Rica derives income and control from various sources. Among these are the collection of fees (piso) from gas carriers, businessmen, corn growers, taxi drivers, and migrant smuggling. 

Corn merchants have reported being subjected to CJNG extortions for the past three years. Similarly, taxi drivers, junk yard owners, orange dealers, and gas carriers in Poza Rica, Coatzintla, Papantla, Espinal, Tihuatlán, La Concha, and surrounding areas have been forced to pay fixed fees to the CJNG.

These victims have accused the Veracruz Government, the State Public Security Secretariat, and municipal police officers on social media of providing protection and impunity to the CJNG.

Poza Rica is a hotbed of narco activity beyond just the CJNG vs Los Guerreros (Los Tercios + Grupo Sombra) conflict. 

In January 2023, Gulf Cartel’s Grupo Escorpión threatened their rivals in Poza Rica in a narco video. (Sol’s English translation is linked here.) 

In April 2023, a reporter was abducted by narcos, who made a video of him “confessing” that State Police coordinator Felipe Santes is working with cartel groups in Poza Rica. (Sol’s English translation is linked here.) 

In May 2023, Sinaloa Cartel’s Gente Nueva announced they were going to purge Poza Rica. (Sol’s English translation is linked here.) 

Sources: Imagen del Golfo (1); (2), Plumas Libres, Proyecto 13, El Sol de Cordoba, Proceso, Vanguardia de Veracruz, El Democrata

Further Reading

Veracruz: Brother of Cartel Boss Gunned Down with His Kids and Wife on Highway