LIVE THREAD: Gulf Cartel Leader 'La Kena' Captured Near Monterrey, Nuevo León

"Morogris" for Borderland Beat

Images by "HEARST"

José Alberto García Vilano, alias La Kena, Ciclón 19, Cmdte or Comandante 19, was arrested near Monterrey, Nuevo León today

Jose Alberto Garcia Vilano, also known as La Kena or Ciclon 19, the Gulf Cartel leader of the Matamoros faction, has been apprehended in a shopping center in San Pedro Garza Garcia, an upscale suburb in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon.

The apprehension took place as a collaborative effort between the Mexican Navy and operatives from the State Investigation Agency of the State of Nuevo León. Regarded as a priority target and "violence generator" in Tamaulipas, La Kena did not resist arrest.

He was arrested along with Jaime Humberto Escalante Soto, alias Escorpión 45, another high-ranking Gulf Cartel member.

Videos surfaced on social media, capturing the moment when La Kena was apprehended at Palacio de Hierro, the shopping center he was in. Authorities escorted him out while people inside the stores observed the event.

The Tamaulipas Attorney General's Office had offered a bounty of MXN$2.5 million (approximately US$145,567) for information leading to the arrest of La Kena. This reward stood out as one of the highest bounties issued by the Mexican government during the presidency of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

It has been disclosed that La Kena managed to mislead the authorities for several months by adopting a false name, Gilberto de la Rosa. The details regarding whether La Kena possessed an identification card under this name at the time of his arrest remain unclear.

Jaime Humberto Escalante Soto, alias Escorpion 45, Casco 1, Comandante Kasco, El Joker, was arrested with La Kena

The purpose of La Kena's presence in Monterrey remains unclear. Investigators revealed that La Kena had been observed in the Monterrey area a few weeks before his arrest. However, he was typically protected by armed bodyguards. During his arrest, La Kena was accompanied by two or three individuals, but he lacked the usual security detail that regularly surrounded him in other locations.

A visitor at the shopping center captured the moment when security forces were escorting La Kena out of the premises in handcuffs. In the footage, some of the agents were wearing uniforms, while others were not, indicating the possibility that some of them might have been undercover.

Security experts note that parts of the Monterrey area, particularly San Pedro Garza García, has been regarded as a "neutral" zone or safe haven for major drug traffickers. It serves as a location where they can potentially ensure the safety of their families away from the turmoil present in other parts of Mexico. However, this pax mafiosa among criminal organizations has not always been universally honored by all drug cartels.

Background

Following the kidnapping of four Americans in Matamoros on March 3, 2023, numerous news outlets published articles focusing on La Kena. These reports suggested that, among others, Kena played a significant role in the incident.

La Kena was thought to have served as the second-in-command and chief assistant to Jose Alfredo Cardenas Martinez, alias El Contador, during his tenure as the leader of the CDG Matamoros faction known as Los Escorpiones. It is believed that Kena was responsible for overseeing the faction's daily operations under El Contador's leadership.

In one of the songs depicting La Kena's life, 5050 raps that he was born and raised in Matamoros and "started working with the cartel alongside El Señor of Doble T," referring to Antonio Ezequiel Cárdenas Guillén (alias Tony Tormenta or TT), another member of the Cardenas Guillen family.

In September 2023, La Kena narrowly evaded arrest in Matamoros when security forces surrounded one of his homes in the Valle de los Reyes neighborhood. Taking advantage of the situation, he managed to divert authorities by orchestrating the departure of two vehicles from the premises, with La Kena himself in one of them. Subsequently, he switched to other vehicles, successfully eluding authorities and disappearing from their radar. The shootout that day resulted in the deaths of four cartel hitmen and one bystander injured, as reported by Borderland Beat.

The shirt depicted above was worn by an individual apprehended with La Kena. It bears the inscription "Grupo Operativo Rango Base" (GORB). The term "Rango Base" (often abbreviated as RB) serves as a code name for Rio Bravo, Tamaulipas, a border city where the Gulf Cartel faction of Los Escorpiones operates.

A Scorpion is featured in the center of the shirt, symbolizing the group Los Escorpiones. The SC45 on the right alludes to Jaime Humberto Escalante Soto, alias Escorpion 45. The XIX (Roman numeral for nineteen) in the center is a reference to La Kena's alternate alias Ciclon 19.

Sources: La Jornada; El Universal; El Financiero; TV Azteca; Excelsior; Silla Rota; Proceso; Milenio; ForoTV; Borderland Beat archives