"HEARST" and "Sol Prendido" for Borderland Beat
The vests on a Gulf Cartel kidnapping squad that was caught roaming outside Matamoros revealed that the hitmen worked under Ezequiel Cárdenas, the son of Tony Tormenta and nephew of Osiel.
The Kidnapping
Yesterday, on March 27, the website Valor por Tamaulipas published a message and a series of accompanying images to their Telegram channel.
The message claims to be from a state police officer who chose to publicize an incident where a number of cartel kidnappers were stopped by authorities and a kidnapping victim was freed.
The message claims the incident occurred outside of "the border city". The comments in Telegram allege they meant the city of Matamoros.
The message claims the incident took place on March 23, 2023.
The images show a Gulf Cartel hitman lying on the ground, still wearing a vest and bloody in the face. It's unclear if the hitman is deceased or merely injured.
The images show a man with a bandage around his head who is handcuffed to a handle on the interior of a vehicle. The message indicates that the man is a kidnapping victim.
Firearms, ammo, helmets, and vests were seized from the hitmen.
The message claims that officials have not officially released information on what happened.
Authorities may be hesitant to acknowledge the incident due to the recent Gulf Cartel attack on Americans, which lead to the death of two and the kidnapping of the others, in Matamoros.
Many have speculated that the Mexican and Tamaulipan governments are being pressured by the US for more answers and further arrests related to the attack. This comes as reports emerge that spring break tourism into Mexico reportedly dropped.
Due to these circumstances, the state government may be hesitant to acknowledge a cartel kidnapping group was roaming just outside the city, with a victim in tow.
So, the vests name Ezequiel Cárdenas as the presumed leader of this kidnapping group. But, who exactly is that and is he related to the famous Cárdenas Guillen crime family which helms the Gulf Cartel?
Ezequiel Cárdenas Rivera is believed to be one of the sons of famous Gulf Cartel figure Antonio Ezequiel Cárdenas Guillén, alias “Tony Tormenta.” This makes Ezequiel the nephew of Osiel Cardenas, Metro 1, and other famous Cárdenas brothers.
An Informador article from 2010 mentions the alleged names of Tony Tormenta’s wife: Hermelinda Rivera Alcántara, along with the name of his daughter: Karla Elizabeth Cárdenas Rivera, and the name of his other son: Jorge Cárdenas Rivera.
Tony Tormenta was killed by federal forces in November 2010.
Just one year after his death, on November 25, 2011, his 23-year-old son Ezequiel was arrested in Matamoros, as he attempted to leave a party alongside other Gulf Cartel figures. A neighbor had apparently complained about the party’s noise and Navy Marines were called in.
The Marines snagged Ezequiel as he and four other men attempted to speed out of the neighborhood on Álvaro Obregón Street inside three vehicles.
The men were found to be in possession of several firearms which were illegal for them to possess.
The other men arrested with him were:
José de Jesús García Hernández, alias "El Chuy"
32 years old
The alleged head of the Matamoros plaza
René Alberto Munguía Elizondo, alias "El Amable"
43 years old
Financial operator who worked under the direct orders of El Chuy as an accountant
Javier Enrique Farías García, alias "El Contador"
49 years old
Financial operator
Erasmo García Galván, alias "El Checo"
37 years old
Likely involved in drug smuggling to the US
For the next few years, very little news about Ezequiel was published. Then, in 2016, a social media post appeared which showed a photo of Ezequiel as he sat alongside his fiancé (at the time). He would have been 28 at the time of the posting.
The post gave out Ezequiel’s full name and his relation to Tony Tormenta. It then alleged that Ezequiel was currently leading a Gulf Cartel group in Matamoros which extorted local businesses and kidnapped for ransom.
The post also alleged that Ezequiel would sometimes hide out in Monterrey. His cousin, the son of Augustin Cardenas, El Contador was the overall leader of the Matamoros faction at the time, he reportedly did not know about Ezequiel’s extortion activity in Matamoros.
It's interesting to note that the kidnappers' helmets, seized on March 23, had a patch which read "chubascos", which means a heavy rainfall. This may be a bit of wordplay with the alias of Ezequiel's father, with "Tormenta" meaning storm.
what a breed of devils!
ReplyDeleteYes they are.
DeleteThis one looks like he got an extra chromosome
DeleteMuertos de hambre
ReplyDeleteNo hay dinero por ratas
Rata= ratero
DeleteWhen Osiel leaves ADX next year is he free as can be or will be held on charges in Mexico when he gets back ?
ReplyDeleteWe don't really know. In theory, Osiel should be deported upon his sentence (often termed as "No lawful return to the U.S." in court files). But unlike other Gulf Cartel members indicted with him, the U.S. government omitted this statement for Osiel only.
DeleteThis is a very important fact since it may lead to a possibility that he could stay in the US after his sentence. As we know from his attorney's murder case, Osiel provided valuable information to US authorities for a soother sentence.
His charges in Mexico were dropped in order to proceed with his extradition (a prerequisite for extradition), but Mexico could file additional charges if there are any as long as there is no double jeopardy.
I wrote a piece about this a few years back. Here is the link:
http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2020/04/imprisoned-gulf-cartel-leader-osiel.html
Thanks @Morogris!
DeleteThat Family has made hundreds of millions off the dope game and this fat fuck is out here kidnapping people ?
ReplyDeleteIs doesn't really matter how much they've made if they're greedy individuals with bottomless desires
DeleteDoesn’t make any sense he should just leave the country and chill with his dads money
DeleteOsiel y hermanos si, pero a los Juniors les toco sortear la guerra contra Los Zetas, así que habia que sacar dinero hasta debajo de las piedras.
DeleteNo se quedan con cientos de fajos de dolares aparte que tampoco tienen conectes grandes, me sorprende que Contador no lo haya matado si era muy cercano a Kike Cardenas
@12.54 and Sol- You miss the point. When money is tied up in shell companies and year long shipments you can't access the money you have. You can be a billionnaire on paper and still not have cash available. That's why they use kidnapping and extortion. It has nothing to do with greed. It's the only way they can pay the men who protect them. They are greedy fucks, but assuming what is being said about the Cardenas family this is an example of the domino effect, it has nothing to do with greed.
DeleteThat sicario caught a round to his head as he has a sizeable indentation above his right eyebrow.
ReplyDeleteSe mira que le mete machin al pozole.
ReplyDeleteValour? Btw thats one greasy looking bastard. His father was an asshole and the son seems like a dumbass. Kidnapping is for the stupid lazy criminals that dont have the brains to be traffickers.
ReplyDeleteAll these guys have messed up kids trying to imitate daddy and they still mess up and when Uncle buck returns from a nice vacation thanks to the US let's see what happens then.
ReplyDeleteHope he dies painful and slow. Hate people that kidnap
ReplyDeleteWow.a 15$ pistol brace on that rifle
ReplyDeleteNone of that fancy shit matters. As long as the gun goes boom when you pull the trigger. Too many tactical LARPS correlate brand names and price tags with immortality. $150-300 shit pistols kill more people than all the Gucci Glocks, and girly looking cerakoted AR's with $150 charging handles. These hombres aren't playing LARP games.
Delete@11:21 What are LARP?
DeleteLARP is live action role play. Like those guys who dress up for civil wqr reenactments
DeleteThis dude's fiance mighty fine looking
ReplyDeleteLooks snitchaloan to me.
DeleteWhat the fiancé’s name, she’s hot?!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure on her name. Someone told me they never ended up getting married though.
DeleteI assume 6feet below, isnt killing ex girlfriends some kind of family tradition for them?
DeleteShe's ain't all that
DeleteYo conocí a Karla. Siempre fue muy acomplejada con su físico y lo compensaba con la agresividad de sus grasientos hermanos
ReplyDelete