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Sunday, October 18, 2020

Old-School Gulf Cartel Figure 'Rafita 82' Killed in Nuevo León

"Morogris" for Borderland Beat (formerly "MX"); TY "leChef"

Rafael Isassi Garcia held significant power in Tampico, Tamaulipas, as a Gulf Cartel plaza boss

Rafael Isassi Garcia, commonly referred to by his alias "Rafita 82", was killed in a drive-by shooting in Santiago Municipality, a suburb in the Monterrey metropolitan area. Investigators say four armed men attacked Isassi while he was heading to a ranch.

Neighborhood residents told the police that they heard at least nine gunshots and saw a Dodge Durango vehicle leave the crime scene at a high speed seconds after the attack. Paramedics were called to the site and confirmed that Isassi was killed instantly. He was traveling with his nephew Javier (aged 20) who survived with minor injuries. Surveillance cameras captured the Dodge Durango vehicle in question. Authorities have the vehicle's license plates but did not confirm if they were able to see the assailants' faces.

Isassi was a high-ranking Gulf Cartel member who once held a top cartel role in the Tampico, Tamaulipas, plaza for many years. He worked under former cartel boss Juan Carlos de la Cruz Reyna, a close henchmen of legendary kingpin Osiel Cardenas Guillen. Both of his former bosses are serving prison time in the United States after being extradited from Mexico over a decade ago.

Background

Isassi was an old-school boss whose membership dates back to the late 1990s and early 2000s. At that time the top cartel boss was Osiel Cardenas Guillen, the former leader of the co-organization of the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas.

Although he held ties with Matamoros, the Gulf Cartel's bastion, Isassi was based in Tampico and helped cement the cartel's presence in southern Tamaulipas. He worked under Juan Carlos de la Cruz Reyna (alias "El JC"), a former state police officer. Both El JC and Cardenas Guillen were extradited to the U.S. in 2007 and are serving prison time. They will be released from prison in 2021 and 2024, respectively.

Isassi's former boss Juan Carlos de la Cruz Reyna was the plaza boss of Tampico from 2001 to 2007. He is currently imprisoned in the U.S. for bribery charges and is expected to be released next year. According to his U.S. indictment, he will be deported back to Mexico.

While Isassi was based in Tampico in the 2010s, the Gulf Cartel was experiencing a civil war between several local cells. While contesting the Tampico plaza, Isassi's men reportedly killed Lazaro Martinez Rodriguez (alias "Escorpion"), the suspected plaza boss of Ciudad Madero. His body was dumped outside of the bar he owned with a written message stabbed on his chest, as reported by Borderland Beat.

It was rumored that Isassi helped the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) set a foothold in northern Veracruz in 2011 to help combat the rival Zetas gang. At that time Isassi was a regional boss in southern Tamaulipas and also had ties with Veracruz and San Luis Potosi. However, in September 2019, the CJNG publicly announced that they wanted Isassi dead and exposed details of his criminal network.

Isassi was the shareholder of Garcher Evolution, a residential and commercial painting company based in Apodaca, Nuevo Leon. His company was working with construction firms near the new Mexico City airport. According to a Mexican newspaper, two of Isassi's projects were operating illegally in 2019.

Sources: Punto X Punto; El Porvenir; Telediario; El Universal; Valor Tamaulipeco; Borderland Beat archives

43 comments:

  1. The CARTEL life..
    WORK for a CARTEL as SICARIOS and get KILLED by enemies or envious friends in the CARTEL..
    If that DOESN'T work, get snitched on and if you make IT BIG you will be made an EXAMPLE and get extradited to U.S.. Kids JUST get a job

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The risk for a better living for many people is worth it. Jobs have become scarce and underpaid while inflation keeps on rising.

      Education and job stipulating has been echoed for decades. Yet, we find ourselves in the thick of things with a failed drug war. Added with a massive incarceration of brilliant minds if applied.

      E42

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    2. Theres a MILLION excuses for doing DUMB shit BUT the truth is he wabted easy MONEY.. That comes WITH a high PRICE

      Delete
  2. Too many enemies on all sides.
    20 years makes for an old school? Seems like a short life. Wonder how many he killed in that time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. THATS WHY HE IS OLD SCHOOL NOT MANY MAKE MORE THAN A COUPLE OF YEARS.........

      Delete
    2. Anyone with a TOP position under Osiel is old school now. For me anything late 1990s / early 2000s CDG is old school b/c they were around when the Zetas was formed. That is a big deal...

      Delete
  3. Cdn taking out any of the old gulf bosses who think it’s safe to hide in Monterrey

    ReplyDelete
  4. Isassy was easy.
    Now let's see how long Osiel and JC de la cruz reina last when they get deported back to Mexico, by then francisco javier garcia cabeza de cagadas de vacas may have been spending time with them in a US prison, the DEA seems to be training their long eyed periscope on his ass

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't think Osiel Cardenas will be deported to Mexico. In his U.S. indictment there is nothing about his immediate removal from the U.S. upon serving his sentence. JC's does mention it. I think he will stay since provided extremely valuable info.

      Delete
    2. Since when does an indictment do anything more but list the elements of an offense that the state must prove and allow for defendant to adequately prepare a defense? If La Migra wishes to deport his ass, then they will when is sentence is completed.

      Delete
    3. @12:23PM: El JC was about to be deported to Mexico after serving jail time in the U.S. for assault after being convicted for the 1999 standoff with U.S. agents in Matamoros. However, he was convicted for bribery for trying to arrange his deportation and release with Gulf Cartel members.

      What is interesting here is El JC and Osiel are mentioned in the same indictment (a superseding one unsealed in December 2000), and in JC's portion it reads verbatim "No unlawful return to U.S." It doesn't say that for Osiel.

      https://web.archive.org/web/20190213163702/https://www.personadeinteres.org/uploads/116ede38-acea-4531-b5ea-fcd1aa5e848b.pdf

      Delete
    4. MX: know anything about the backstory or current activities of Aurelio “Cano” Ochoa? He was another old school CDG member that worked with Rafita/Cmdte 82 and set up shop with him and Alfredo “Aguila/Cmdte 58” Martinez Aguilar in SLP. I have also read that this SLP CDG group was subordinate to “Chive”, “Toñin”, and “R3” in Tampico.

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    5. Pretty sure 82 was higher on the ladder then any strawberry. 82 pretty much held sway from central tamp to central slp which extended west into Nuevo Leon and even parts of Zac. Dude pulled strings from the shadows including the C7 capture. Chive was just the crazy motherfucker who took out Los Dragones and his reward was label of plaza boss which lasted until his brother blew his own fucking arm off with a grenade and the whole fam showed up at the hospital armed. 82 played chess for a long time, chive never made it past checkers. No doubt Tony has Tampico on lock w the help of M3's younger brother Negrito, Escorpions, some C's and Moros in general.

      Delete
  5. Organized crime is only nasty fuckers and Isassi was one of them! Got what he deserved, but too bad it was short and painless.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Good riddance!!! Should have been wasted years ago!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Another one bites the dust.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Cjng offered $$$ for rafa 82 in 2019 ����‍♂️

    ReplyDelete
  9. MX. how important was this JC guy? You think he will be back in the game soon?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He's related to Osiel, I think via family marriage. He's a big deal and it will be interesting when he gets deported back. He was the #1 guy in Tampico for a long time and was #1 in CDMX too but he only lasted a few months.

      Delete
    2. Very important at the time. The reason he's still locked up is bc his gente tried to bribe officials to release him only to specific people in a specific location. Dude knew he was as good as gone once he was deported. Most likely he'll be clipped within a year.

      Delete
  10. History of CDG factions in Tampico?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Search in the BB forum search engine. It has pretty much everything. It’s crazy good.

      Delete
  11. The jaliscas and the cdn wanted this guy dead.Its not been confirmed. If this guy let the jaliscas in then he deserves to die.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How would he let jaliscos in? He was a foe not a friènd? People should really consider thinking before posting.


      Delete
  12. Tampico has been oddly quiet for a long time now...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Things are calm. They work with the Matamoros group from what I know. One of the Rs is head of the plaza rn.

      Delete
  13. Probably CDN because CJNG isnt in Nuevo Leon

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Or maybe CDG why not ...

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    2. The cdg cell that operates in mty nl is aligned with cjng. Dummý.

      Delete
  14. This murder has not been confirmed by any mexican goverment agency and it has not been on any other mexican narco news blogs. If it did happened it was jaliscas. They cldnt kill him straight up so they put a price on information for him. Cld of also been cdn but cdn been quite lately

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 5:20 PM Couldn't kill him straight up wait their are rules when it comes to murder?

      Their have never been any rules family, friends, anything of value is fair game once the gentleman's agreement is broken. That agreement was broken the day chaporata and mayosnitch turned in all the old heads of the mafia and became informants.

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    2. Happened in MTY so could have been CDG (metros or ciclones) or even the local BLO headed by El Gato. Chingos of potential options...

      Delete
    3. Everyone works in mty. Smalls financial cells from most groups, including CJNG. They did offer a reward for rafa82 last year so who knows? That's another hypothesis.

      Delete
    4. Isnt that what most organization do? Put a price on your head?
      Or is this a new jalisco practice? I'm lost. @5:20

      Delete
  15. I told you,
    eso se sacan por andar ahi de calientes

    ReplyDelete
  16. CDG opera la zona sur de NL. Por parte de los metros que están aliados al cjng

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CDG Metros opera en el centro y Norte de NL tambien. La Frontera Chica la controlan ellos. Reynosa tambien. Estamos hablando de 2 horas de distancia máximo. Igual hay presencia de gente de Matamoros en NL.

      Delete
  17. Some new blood might’ve wanted his place. Remember friends are sometimes deadlier than enemies.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Somewhere in Mexico C7 is smiling. 82 helped mata zetas gain foothold in SLP when they were still with Sinaloa. Nobody thought that group of hillbillies would turn into what they became. Everyone just tried to stop the advancement of the plague that was Los Zetas.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Why are things so fragmented in Mexico?? Somebody needs to put this shit back together. nothing good is coming out of these conflicts

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pope francisco expressed hopes that México would not become colombianized, before that there was Balkanization, for the divisions and wars that plagued the Balkans in Europe, fueled by the US and other accomplice nations.
      In Mexico, this is the result of the War on Drugs paid for by the US Government...

      Delete
    2. Yup, catching the big fish ONLY makes things WORSE..
      War on DRUGS is a big JOKE

      Delete

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