Axel Alfredo Cárdenas, Son of Gulf Cartel Boss, Released from Federal Prison

"Morogris" for Borderland Beat

Axel Alfredo Cardenas Rodriguez is the son of Gulf Cartel former top leader Jose Alfredo Cardenas Martinez, alias El Contador

A Mexican federal judge issued an order for the release of Axel Alfredo Cárdenas Rodríguez, a high-ranking member of the Gulf Cartel and the son of cartel leader José Alfredo Cárdenas Martínez, also known as El Contador.

Prison records indicate that Axel Alfredo was released on January 20 from the Federal Social Readaptation Center No. 1 (Altiplano), a maximum-security prison in the State of Mexico. He faced charges related to fentanyl trafficking and illegal possession of firearms, but it seems that these charges were dropped or invalidated by the judge.

He was released alongside another individual named Jesus Roberto Calderon Selvera, who had been arrested along with Axel Alfredo last summer.

Interestingly, the decision that resulted in Axel Alfredo's release was approved on January 18, the same day Gulf Cartel boss José Alberto García Vilano, alias La Kena, was apprehended in Monterrey. This ruling was endorsed by a federal judge situated in Reynosa, Tamaulipas.

Background

In February 2022, following El Contador's arrest, the Mexican media outlet Milenio speculated that Axel Alfredo and his sibling Álan Alexis were the presumed "heirs" of the Gulf Cartel. They were reportedly collaborating with Jose Alberto Garcia Vilano, also known as La Kena or Ciclón 19.

Axel Alfredo and his sibling Alan Alexis were apprehended by Mexican security forces in Matamoros in May 2023. This arrest took place in the aftermath of the kidnapping of four Americans in Matamoros, a case that gained international attention and cast scrutiny on various members of the Matamoros Gulf Cartel faction.

Citizen journalists in Tamaulipas have echoed similar assertions from Milenio in the past. They assert that Axel Alfredo had allegedly functioned as the co-leader of the Matamoros faction alongside La Kena. However, they claim that La Kena orchestrated his arrest as a strategic move to seize control of the cartel for himself.

He is also referred to as Titan 7 and El Hijo Major (image credit: HEARST)

Axel Alfredo is associated with a cell named "Grupo Titanes" and is known by the aliases "Titán 7" and "El Hijo Major" (The Eldest Son). This underscores his perceived position as the apparent heir to the organization formerly headed by his father.

The release of Axel Alfredo aligns with a recurring trend among several leaders of the Gulf Cartel faction in Matamoros. El Contador has been released from prison many times and seems to have a robust legal team adept at navigating federal court systems, securing favorable rulings from judges.

Given that the decision for Axel Alfredo's release originated in Reynosa, near Matamoros, there's a possibility that the involved judge might have faced coercion by the Gulf Cartel or has affiliations with them. The name of the judge has not been disclosed by media outlets.

Sources: Milenio; Puente Libre; MVS Noticias; Borderland Beat Archives