CDG Tamaulipas: The story of "Juan Perros", the hated leader

Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat  Infobae and Milenio

The story of "Juan Perros": the hated drug lord ...Accused of killing 5 soldiers and massive amount of migrants...

In August 2013, federal authorities captured Mario Armando Ramírez Treviño, then identified as the leader of the Gulf Cartel, which operates mainly in Tamaulipas, northern Mexico.

Juan Manuel Rodríguez García or Juan Manuel Rodríguez Larios “Juan Perros”, immediately assumed command of the organization, although he was vehemently not recognized by the different factions of the organization.  

He immediately ordered the massive kidnappings of migrants to join the gang to so they could have a majority.

“The detainee was responsible for the transfer of drugs, money and weapons through the border bridges, not only from his own organization, but he also charged other criminal groups who wanted to use the Tamaulipas border.

"There are indications that this individual ordered massive kidnappings of undocumented immigrants, whom he forced to work for his group or otherwise he ordered them murdered,” said authorities after his arrest.

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The Tamaulipas Most Wanted List Revisited

On April 11, 2014, the head of the PGR of Mexico, Jesús Murillo Karam, announced that the federal government would implement a new strategy to fight the violence taking place in the state of Tamaulipas. In the following days it was reported that Mexican federal forces deployed in Tamaulipas were seeking to arrest of twelve high priority targets from Los Zetas and the Gulf Cartel. The news site 24 HORAS went on to report the following names on the list:

From Los Zetas

• Omar "Z-42" Treviño Morales
• Sergio "El Grande" Basurto Peña
• Maxiley "El Max/Z-19" Barahona Nadales

From the Gulf Cartel

• Juan Carlos "El Chuma" de la Cruz Moctezuma
• José Ismael "Polimenso" Mendoza Falcón
• Eduardo Ismael "El Negro" Flores Borrego
• José Antonio "La Hamburguesa" Romo López 
• Carlos "Carlitos Whiskies" González Escobar 
• Juan Manuel "Juan Perros" Rodríguez García
• "El Orejón/Ciclón 7"
• "El Comandante Paquito"
• Juan Francisco "El Metro 103" Saenz Tamez

In the following weeks, members of Los Zetas and the Gulf Cartel were arrested and reported to as high priority targets of the government.  However, in a number of cases these individuals did not appear on the aforementioned list, something that did not go unnoticed on the Borderland Beat forum. 

 

On July 28, new articles reported "Two months after the initiation of the new strategy of security in Tamaulipas, the federal forces have detained seven of the 14 individuals that they identified as priorities".  What was previously said to be a list of twelve was now reported as comprised of fourteen individuals.  

Further complicating the issue was the names of the seven individuals that were captured, which are as follows:

From Los Zetas

• Fernando "Z-16" Martínez Magaña
• Juan Fernando "El Ferrari" Álvarez Cortez/Francisco Ramírez Rivera
• Ricardo Enrique "Ricky" Santillan Trejo

From the Gulf Cartel

• Eleno "Pantera 6" Salazar Flores
• Juan Manuel "Juan Perros/Pantera 11" Rodríguez García
• Juan Manuel "Juan Perros Sr." Rodríguez Rodríguez
• Juan Pablo "El Cherrys" Leal Gutiérrez

While Juan Manuel "Juan Perros/Pantera 11" Rodríguez García appears on both lists, none of the other six arrested individuals are found on the list provided by 24 HORAS.  There may be a clue to the discrepancies, however.  The July 28 article refers to it being two months after the initiation of the strategy.  The 24 HORAS list was published in mid-April, which would correspond to three months.  Yet this graphic appears in the July 28 article, listing the initiation of the strategy as May 13.

From Milenio.com

So what are we to conclude?  The difference between an April start date and a May start date is a relatively minor matter at first glance and could be explained as a difference between announcement and actual action, the existence of two very different lists is not so easily overlooked. 

The most simple explanation would be that the very existence of the first list was made up by 24 HORAS.  As news agencies try to out scoop each other, this does make sense, however, there is one problem.  It is hard to believe they made up the existence of the list in the first place as an actual list has emerged. 

Maybe they were aware that a list was in existence and decided to come up with the individuals they felt would be on the list.  If that were the case, it would not be much more of a step to believe that 24 HORAS received an unofficial list from government sources, a rough draft of sorts, that would be heavily revised, thus rendering the original list obsolete.

Yet there is another more sinister possibility.  Obviously both articles reference the same change in strategy.  Yet, as mentioned before, there is a one month gap between the 24 HORAS article and the alleged start of the strategy mentioned in the newer articles.  According to the above graphic, which is based on information from Segob, Fernando "Z-16" Martínez Magaña and Juan Fernando "El Ferrari" Álvarez Cortez/Francisco Ramírez Rivera were both arrested on May 14. 

Let us not be too cynical, these arrests were important and the government should be commended for achieving them, yet neither appear on the 24 HORAS list.  Could it be that the government, in celebration of their accomplishment, decided to call them high priority targets and, in doing so, began to pain themselves into a corner? 

It would be simple enough to add "Z-16" and "El Ferrari" to the list, expanding it from twelve to fourteen individuals and the subsequent arrest of "Juan Perros" would not be an issue.  Yet as more arrests were achieved and celebrated as attacking high priority targets, the original list would be rendered void.

Keep in mind, this is just a theory, but it is feasible that the government, after randomly calling several other arrested individuals high priority targets, reached a point in which they wanted to formalize their achievements.  Therefore, rather than using the original starting date of the new strategy, a new date in May was chosen in order to make the results appear to have occurred more quickly and the original list was ignored in order to substantially increase the number of targeted arrests achieved. 

While this theory may be completely wrong, there are two things that reinforce the possibility at the very least.  As far as I am aware of, though the article refers to their being fourteen priority targets, the identity of the other seven individuals has not been published.  With that being the case, the government has free rein to arrest an individual and then announce that they were on the list as they see fit.

Then there is the matter of Juan Pablo "El Cherrys" Leal Gutiérrez.  Although he is well known online for the videos and pictures he has posted, the general consensus among people who follow the inner workings of the Gulf Cartel is that he is not much more than a glorified sicario leader.  The fact that he is included on the list of priority targets is highly suspicious and appears to be an effort to increase the success rate.  Call it a conspiracy theory if you want, but with all the smoke an mirrors that occurs in the narco wars, at least it is worth considering.


Postscript: As I was writing the final draft of this article, it was reported that Javier Aldemar "El Comandnate Diablo" Morales Estrada was arrested.  In the Milenio article about his arrest, he was called "one of the 14 priority targets identified by the federal government".  If this is the case, he would be the eighth to be arrested.  His inclusion on the list, in my opinion, meets the exact same criteria as "El Cherrys" and increases my skepticism even further.


Sources:
24 HORAS- Buscan en Tamaulipas a 12 líderes del narco
Milenio- En 2 meses caen 7 de 14 objetivos en Tamaulipas

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Gunmen Kill 7 Warehouse Employees in Reynosa as Turf War Intensifies

"MX" for Borderland Beat; TY to "leChef"

"El Yogui", the warehouse in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, where the attack occurred

On Sunday, gunmen stormed a beer warehouse in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, and killed seven people. Initially, it was suspected that the attack may have been a failed robbery attempt. However, it was later established that the attack was organized crime-related. Investigators suggest that the attack is part of a violent turf war waging in Reynosa between rival Gulf Cartel factions.

At least half of the victims were executed with a coup de grâce, as shown in the video provided by Borderland Beat. Five of the victims were approximately twenty-years-old and one was in his mid-thirties. The 55-year-old warehouse owner, Eduardo López ("El Yogui"), was also killed. He was one of the main Corona and Bud Light beer distributors in Tamaulipas.

GRAPHIC VIDEO/IMAGES BELOW

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CDG Matamoros Part 3: The Los Metros Conflict

Author’s Note: While the information actually wound up in this section, the second part of the series was delayed quite a bit more than I had anticipated due to me finding copies of posts from the old Nabble forum, specifically the infamous CDG thread from March 2015 to August 2017, and my decision to go through and incorporate information from it. A special thanks to Computer JA, Bjeff, MIKE7 (Ivan), El Plata, Quema Cocos, ToPHeR, and mr.browntown956, whose work helped make this better. I know at least a couple of you are still around, please hit me up at itzli.borderland.beat@gmail.com so we can catch up.

Continued from Part 2: A New Generation

Los Metros Infighting

While a full accounting of the history of the Los Metros faction of the Cártel del Golfo (CDG, Gulf Cartel) is well beyond the scope of this writing, there are some details that should be touched upon before moving forward in order to provide better context.

El Gringo

Throughout their history, Los Metros have earned a reputation for infighting. One of the first internal purges occurred on March 10, 2013, when Mario “Pelón” Armando Ramírez Treviño had Miguel “El Gringo” Villarreal and associates working under him killed, most notably Jesús "El Puma" García Román. “Mario Pelón”, also known by his code name X-20, went on to be arrested on August 17, 2013, starting a series of subsequent leaders of Los Metros.

Paquito

Another event of note is that of the head of the Reynosa plaza, Francisco “Paquito” Martínez Ramírez, code name “Metro 77” entering into a dispute with Juan “Perros” Manuel Rodríguez García, code name "Pantera 11", in April 2014, which led to “Paquito” fleeing into hiding. In the wake of the May 25, 2014 arrest of “Juan Perros”, “Paquito” returned to Reynosa in September of that same year and was granted a reduced level of power up until his arrest on December 8, 2014.

Overlapping these events was the saga of Sergio “Cortez” Ortegón Silva, code name “C1”, the leader of the Los Ceros group within Los Metros, and his son Sergio "Junior Cortez" Ortegón, code name “C2”.  "Junior Cortez" had been an associate of “El Gringo”, but was spared from the purge. Following the arrest of “Juan Perros”, José Tiburcio “El Gafe” Hernández Fuentes began clashing with both “Cortez” and "Junior Cortez" and, on August 20, 2014, “Junior Cortez” was killed. Thereafter, the father “Cortez” went into exile.

The Fall of Los Panteras 

The city of Río Bravo has frequently played a major role in the history of the CDG, for instance the Los Metros incursion into Matamoros which took place in November 2013 that was mentioned in Part 2 originated from that city. At the time Río Bravo and the nearby border city of Nuevo Progreso were under the control of Los Panteras, a historic subgroup of the CDG that was allegedly founded by Mario “Pelón” Armando Ramírez Treviño and firmly linked with the Los Metros faction at the time.

Juan Perros

The May 2014 arrest of Juan “Perros” Manuel Rodríguez García marked the beginning of a steady decline of Los Panteras in the area. On July 16 Miguel Angel “El Aleman” Aleman Salinas, was arrested; he was also known as “Pantera 12” and was a brother-in-law of “Juan Perros”.

On July 22, government forces killed a high ranking member of Los Panteras in Nuevo Progreso and two days later, the same day that government forces arrested Eleno Salazar Flores, code name “Pantera 6”, in Reynosa, the Matamoros faction made its move, killing “El Flako”, who was said to be head of plaza in Río Bravo. By the end of July, several remaining members of Los Panteras fled out of fear of being killed and it appears that the Matamoros faction took control of Nuevo Progreso.

The Path to War

El 98

By September 27, 2014 at the latest, Los Metros named Juan Francisco “El 98” Carrizales Lara as head of plaza in Río Bravo. Born in Nuevo Laredo, he was a former member of Los Lobos/Grupo L under the command of Héctor Manuel “El Karis” Sauceda Gamboa and had the code name “L-98”. His uncle, Jose Luis “El Tubi” Carrizales Coronado, was killed in prison in September 2010, allegedly by Los Zetas, which spurred “El 98” to become a key member in a campaign by Los Metros against Los Zetas in Nuevo Laredo which spanned 2011 and 2012.

It did not take long for “El 98” to raise the ire of the Matamoros faction. Amidst rumors of a pending release from prison, Adrián “El Niño” González Martínez, code name "Ciclón 9", was killed in a penitentiary in Reynosa on December 16, an act that was allegedly ordered by “El 98”. Los Ciclones retaliated that very night by attacking Río Bravo, yet a tense peace would ensue thereafter.

While not widely reported at the time, in January 2015 Mario Alberto “El Betillo” Cárdenas Medina was said to be leader of the Matamoros faction, having been released from prison sometime in 2014. By the middle of that same month rumors spread online that Carlos Fabian "El Cuate" Martínez Pérez was plotting to take over the plaza of Matamoros, with it specifically being stated that he would enter in a dispute with "Ciclón 4" and "Ciclón 7" in order to do so. Furthermore, rumors pointed to “El Cuate” being associated with Gerardo Silva and Filiberto “El Fili” Munguía Bravo, code names Ciclón 385 and Ciclón 40, who were said to be behind photos and personal information of members of Los Ciclones being posted online at the time.

On February 1, 2015, "Ciclón 4", also known as “El Gil”, along with his wife, son, and mother, were kidnapped and executed in an act that was immediately blamed on “El 98”, though looking back, an argument can be made that “El Cuate” may have been involved, at the very least in providing their location to “El 98”. With the killing of "Ciclón 4", the Matamoros faction immediately retaliated against Los Metros, igniting a full scale war.

Defections from Los Metros

The war was intense, for instance in the first two weeks there were grenade attacks against Matamoros municipal president, arrests of members of Los Ciclones and battles in Río Bravo. Amidst the violence were reports that not all the high ranking members of Los Metros supported the war and many blamed “El 98” for triggering it unnecessarily.

In March 2015 periodic rumors spread of members of Los Metros defecting to join the Matamoros faction, with it being said on different occasions that Sergio “Cortez” Ortegón Silva and Eduardo “El Negro” Flores Borrego, a brother of Samuel “El Metro 3” Flores Borrego, had changed sides, as well as members of Los Panteras, and people that had worked directly under  “Mario Pelón”, “El Gringo”, and “El Puma”. Furthermore, it was reported that anyone wishing to defect could contact the people of Francisco “Paquito” Martínez Ramírez to be equipped and financed by Los Ciclones.

Shifting Tides

El Gafe

As the war between Los Metros and the Matamoros faction continued, José Tiburcio “El Gafe” Hernández Fuentes was arrested on April 17, 2015 and “El 98” lost his primary supporter in his campaign. In the following weeks Juan Manuel “El Toro” Loisa Salinas, code name “M-42”, solidified his leadership over Los Metros.

El Toro

In early May rumors spread that "Ciclón 7" was negotiating a truce with “El Toro”, giving Los Metros access to Los Indios International Bridge in exchange for peace. However, it was speculated that “El 98” remaining in power in Río Bravo was a stumbling block and, regardless, the conflict persisted.

Grenade attacks took place in Matamoros on May 21, targeting a Federal Police station and the National Electoral Institute INE), and June 2, targeting the police headquarters. While it appeared that Los Metros were behind these incidents, the fact that they took place deep within the city of Matamoros and lacked the typical signs of incursions from outside the city was noted.

Online rumors at the time would blame the attacks on Los Dinos, a Matamoros faction subgroup led by Secundino “El Dino” Mata, a close associate of “El Cuate”, who was working on behalf of Los Metros to heat up the plaza ahead of elections. To this day it is unclear if “El Cuate” was aiding Los Metros on various occasions in a possible attempt to gain power for himself or if he was being falsely accused by rivals within the Matamoros faction.

On June 10 a major clash took place between Los Metros and Los Ciclones in the town of Control, with reports of 44 killed and it was alleged that the majority of the dead were on the side of “El 98”. According to rumors at the time, “El 98” was no longer leading the Río Bravo plaza and it was actually a close associate of his, “El Laredo”, that was leading when the battle took place.

Peace Emerges

It would appear that control of Río Bravo by “El Laredo” was short-lived; on June 29 it was reported that Daniel “El Choco” León García, code name “M-90”, was the new head of plaza in Río Bravo for Los Metros and his second in command was Juan Miguel “El Miguelito” Lizardi Castro, code name “M-56”. Furthermore, it was said that a rash of vehicle thefts near Los Indios bridge were being conducted by underlings of “El Miguelito” and, it would seem, the previous rumor that access to Los Indios bridge would be part of a peace agreement was true.

El Choco

Under “El Choco” and “El Miguelito”, a “cleansing” (limpia) of the plaza took place, with individuals that had been working for “El 98” being kidnapped and killed, although some rumors would claim that “El 98” was quietly still in control and “M-90” and “M-56” were acting on his behalf. Regardless, “El 98” would be arrested in Monterrey, Nuevo León on February 27, 2016 and the threat of war between Los Metros and the Matamoros faction faded away for the time being.

Continued in Part 4: The Rise of El Contador

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Progress of Feds Operation in Tamaulipas

Chivis Martinez for Borderland Beat

It is into the second month of the federal security plan to clean the Mexican state of Tamaulipas of runaway violence. 

Leaders vital to Zetas have exited the state.  Zetas was the first cartel to use the cockroach effect, meaning when forces arrive they retreat out of the area.  In this case they are hiding out in Veracruz.

There are 8 additional leaders wanted by the feds from their list of 12.

Those captured from the list of 12 are:

Fernando Martínez Magaña  "Z16"

 Francisco Ramírez Rivera "El Ferrari"

Juan Manuel Rodríguez García, “Juan Perros"

Juan Martín Zárate Chavez "La Sheyla"

All Captures:

Zetas

Álvarez Cortez y/o Francisco Ramírez Rivera, alias “El Ferrari”, jefe de plaza de los Zetas in Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas 

Fernando Martínez Magaña, Z-16; El jefe de plaza de Los Zetas en Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas 

Ricardo Enrique Santillán Trejo, "El Ricky Santillán", jefe de plaza in ciudad Mante, Tamaulipas

Golfo [CDG]

Juan Manuel Rodríguez García, alias “Juan Perros”, or “Pantera 11”, leader of del cártel del Golfo 

Juan Manuel Rodríguez Rodríguez, father of  Juan Manuel Rodríguez García, alias “Juan Perros” [in foto at top]

Juan Pablo Leal Gutiérrez, alias El “Comandante Cherrys”, jefe de plaza of  Reynosa, Tamaulipas

Juan Martín Zárate Chavez or Arturo Garza Treviño, alias “La Sheyla”, jefe of   Dragónes [Tampico]   

Many of you have expressed interest in accessing historical information on CDG and Zs. Below are a few posts, use the search tool bar for others.

Coss and the Marines: A history of complicity and betrayal

Interview with a Former CDG includes Organization information

Zetas vs Golfo, three years of hostility

Tamaulipas News and CDG Information

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The Criminal Career of "El Gafe"

"El Gafe" pictured at a party with "El Simple"

Following the April 17 arrest of  "El Gafe", the government has revealed previously unreported information about this individual who had long been shrouded in mystery. 

While social media had revealed the name of "El Gafe" as being Sergio Velázquez, his true name is José Tiburcio Hernández Fuentes.  The inconsistency is easily explained, however, as it was reported that he has used eight different names in an effort to escape arrest.

The criminal career of "El Gafe" reportedly began in the city of Río Bravo, Tamaulipas, in the year 2006.  It was then and there he became a lookout (halcón) under the command of Juan Manuel Rodríguez Rodríguez, alias "Juan Perros".  Apparently he excelled at this job and is described by government officials as being an expert at monitoring the movement of soldiers and police officers.

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"Paquito" of the Gulf Cartel Arrested (Updated 12/10/14)

A notable member of the Gulf Cartel (also known in Spanish as Cartel del Golfo or CDG), 32 year old Juan Francisco Martínez Ramírez, who uses the aliases "Paquito", "Paco", "Metro 77", and "M77", was arrested on Monday, December 8.  Sometime around 7:00-8:00 PM, agents of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in conjunction with deputy U.S. Marshals and the Law Enforcement Emergency Regional Response Team raided a house near the intersection of Scott Lane and Del Oro Streets on the west side of Mission, Texas, near the Palmview area and quickly captured him, despite his attempt to escape, and four other individuals.  

"Paquito" appeared before Judge Peter Ormsby, a United States Magistrate in McAllen, Texas, the following day and is being held for federal money laundering charges.  He was denied bond and was not given a court-appointed attorney as Judge Ormsby found his income levels to be too high to qualify.  A subsequent hearing has been scheduled for Friday, December 12.

Within the Los Metros faction of the Gulf Cartel, "Paquito" was the head of the Reynosa, Tamaulipas plaza during the leadership of Mario Armando Ramírez Treviño, aliases "X-20" and "Mario Pelón", a role which he continued to have following the August 17, 2013 arrest of "X-20".  Rumors emerged thereafter about an internal disagreement as to who should become the next leader of Los Metros, with "Paquito", among others, supporting Galindo Mellado Cruz.  However, a majority would support

Juan Manuel Rodríguez García, aliases "Juan Perros" and "Pantera 11", sowing tension within Los Metros as "Juan Perros" assumed leadership.

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Former Gulf Cartel Boss 'El Gafe' Sentenced to 37 Years in Prison

"Morogris" and "Itzli" for Borderland Beat

José Tiburcio Hernández Fuentes, AKA El Gafe

A federal judge in the State of Mexico sentenced Jose Tiburcio Hernandez Fuentes, AKA El Gafe, one of the former leaders of the Gulf Cartel in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, to 37 years in prison.

In April 2015, he was arrested in Reynosa while in possession of military-exclusive firearms. A federal judge found him guilty of the firearm charges, as well as of organized crime involvement and drug trafficking.

He is currently serving his sentence at the Federal Social Readaptation Center No. 1 ("Altiplano"), Mexico's maximum-security prison.

Criminal career

The criminal career of El Gafe reportedly began in the city of Río Bravo, Tamaulipas, in the year 2006.  It was then and there he became a lookout (halcón) under the command of Juan Manuel Rodríguez Rodríguez, aka Juan Perros. Apparently he excelled at this job and was described by government officials as being an expert at monitoring the movement of soldiers and police officers.

In 2009, high-ranking cartel boss Samuel Flores Borrego AKA Metro 3, former bodyguard of drug lord Osiel Cárdenas Guillén, appointed him as head of five criminal cells responsible for oil theft, extortion, kidnapping, and drug distribution in Tamaulipas. During his tenure, El Gafe defended his turf from the rival group Los Zetas, which was the former paramilitary wing of the Gulf Cartel.

In 2012, El Gafe was named the head of plaza for Reynosa by Mario Armando Ramírez Treviño, AKA X-20.  However, this conflicts with a number of sources that placed Héctor David Delgado Santiago, AKA El Metro 4, as head of plaza up until his death on January 15, 2013, and thereafter Juan Francisco Martínez Ramírez, AKA El Paquito, up until April 2014, when he was pushed out of the plaza by Juan Perros, and his allies, including El Gafe, who took his place as head of plaza.

El Gafe taken into custody

Regardless, in March 2013, El Gafe participated with X-20 in a purge of the Los Metros faction of the Gulf Cartel which saw the death of Miguel Villarreal, AKA El Gringo, and Jesús García Román, AKA El Puma. El Gafe then became an operative coordinator for Los Metros and, following the August 17, 2013 arrest of X-20, operations chief for Los Metros under the leadership of the successor of X-20, Juan Perros Junior.

In June 2014, El Gafe participated in an attack against the Federal Police that were traveling on the Reynosa-San Fernando highway, near the Periquitos ejido, which left one officer dead and three injured.  Apparently thereafter, he was arrested aboard a vehicle during an operation by the Federal Police and marines; it is unclear when and how he was released.

El Gafe continued as head of plaza for Reynosa under the command of Juan Francisco Sáenz Tamez, AKA El Panochitas, who assumed leadership Los Metros up until his arrest in October 2014.  Thereafter, El Gafe became leader of Los Metros until his arrest.

Sources: Milenio; Borderland Beat archives

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