"Char" for Borderland Beat
This article was translated and reposted from LA SILLA ROTA
An album of photographs found in a house belonging to "Comandante Ardilla" revealed the close circle of "Los Zetas".
Small in stature, with a cheeky smile, a challenging look, unkempt and unshaven, this is how Salvador Alfonso Martinez Escobedo, "El Comandante Ardilla," the head of "Los Zetas" in the northeast of the country, was presented to the media by the Secretary of the Navy (Semar). It was October 8, 2012.
The capture was important, "El Comandante Ardilla" was one of the most bloodthirsty men in the cartel.
Authorities accused him of being responsible for the massacre of 72 migrants in San Fernando, Tamaulipas, which was 10 years ago on August 23. They also accused him of the escape of 151 inmates from the Nuevo Laredo prison in December 2010 and 132 prisoners from the Piedras Negras jail in September 2012.
More important, however, was what authorities found in one of the houses they searched of Martinez Escobedo: a photo album.
The photographs were of "El Comandante Ardilla's" wedding that had taken place in 2010, two years before his capture, when "Los Zetas" were at their criminal peak.
The celebration was attended by high-level members of the Zetas, members that the authorities had identified but did not know what they looked like physically and the few images they had of them were too old.
On October 10, 2012, two days after the arrest of "El Comandante Ardilla", Cuartoscuro published a photograph that is part of the Zeta leader's wedding album.
In it, "El Comandante Ardilla" is dressed in black with a faint mustache; next to him in a frayed white shirt and slightly obese, Heriberto Lazcano, "El Lazca", then top leader of "Los Zetas".
Both capos are accompanied by two women, Martinez Escobedo's wife, dressed in white, and Lazcano's partner, dressed in black.
Thus, the Navy was able to update its information on the first circle of "Los Zetas" and little by little, each of the wedding attendees were neutralized. Although several of them had already fallen.
That same month "El Lazca" was killed by elements of the Semar in Progreso, Coahuila, his body was stolen from the funeral home where the autopsy was being carried out, leaving as the only record a photo of the capo. He was buried in a cemetery in Pachuca, Hidalgo.
Miguel Ángel Treviño Morales, "El Z-40," successor to "El Lazca," who also reportedly attended the wedding, was arrested in July 2013 in Anáhuac, Nuevo León, near the border with Tamaulipas.
Omar Treviño Morales, "El Z-42," brother and successor of "El Z-40," was apprehended on March 4, 2015 in San Pedro Garza García, Nuevo León. He was also at the religious celebration.
Z-40 and Z-42
Carlos Alberto Oliva Castillo, "La Rana", was arrested in October 2011 in Saltillo, Coahuila. Authorities identified him as one of the masterminds of the attack on the Casino Royale in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, on August 25, 2011, where 52 people died. He was present at the nuptials.
Jorge Luis de la Peña Brizuela, "El Pompín", identified as the plaza leader of "Los Zetas" in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, was killed in August 2012. He attended the wedding.
Mauricio Guízar Cárdenas, "El Amarillo", was arrested in September 2012, he was the head of "Los Zetas" in Tabasco, Veracruz, Chiapas, Campeche and Quintana Roo. He was one of the guests of "El Comandante Ardilla".
El Rana and El Amarillo
Fernando Galaviz, "El Pinky," was arrested in March 2013 in Coahuila. Jorge Santos Salazar, "El Comandante Gallo," killed in January 2012. Both attended the celebration.
Francisco Medina Mejía, alias "El Quemado", killed in April 2012, by members of the Army in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, is said to be another of the masterminds of the attack on the Casino Royale. He was present at the wedding.
Today, "Los Zetas" are in decline, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Fractured into two enemy cells, they survive through the Northeast Cartel and "Los Zetas Vieja Escuela.
According to a document from the Attorney General's Office (FGR), "Los Zetas" maintains a presence only in Tamaulipas. Although it is known that their tentacles still reach states such as Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, Veracruz and San Luis Potosi.
At one point in time, Los Zetas was the most powerful cartel, geographically speaking, surpassing the Sinaloa Cartel.
ReplyDeleteInteresting to have been around long enough to see how quickly things can change
They Actually still are pretty much alive, fact that Sinaloa couldn’t get Nuevo Laredo and CDG struggles up to this day to get that area and surrounding areas they just went more low key but they still have a big presence in Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas
DeleteYes I saw a gangland episode around that time they portrayed them as unstoppable!!To many pigs eating out of the same troff!! Then they cannibalize themselves!! 🐷🐷🐷🐷🐷🐷
DeleteWhat would be metrics of this power? I'd say the early 90s were the Arellano family's moment, the late 90s were the time of Amado Carillo's clan and the Cardenas Guillen Family, early 2000s El Maradona/Cuinis, the mid 2000's El Chapo and company, early 10's must be the Zetas. It seems like there is a 5 year span whenever a group is on top. Mid 10's is Mencho at least in the spotlight. So who has the title now? Chapitos? It has to be a Jalisciense or Sinaloense in this era of meth and fentanyl. I always ask this question on how power is measured. One value can be how much a narco/family is trafficking by the month?
DeleteI disagree they could never take any plaza of an established cartel Monterey although quite lucrative was never a option between Juarez and Tijuana and everything in between is more lucrative and easier to store the plan was never to.figjt the zetas who although deadly really had no connects to real weight they still had to buy from.chapo in Colombia and the weed from.that side was always trash so.they were never a threat they were always torn apart any place out side tamaulipas they never had a future
Delete@9:54 … the Cardenas family were powerful within their realm (mostly Tamaulipas and neighboring states), however Carrillo was on a league of his own .. Osiel doesn’t compare
DeleteAnd now Jalisco has surpassed them, Sinaloa didn’t learn from zetas growth.
DeleteThose mfs aint in Coahuila anymore 😂😂 fuerza Coahuila cleansed them mfs they slaughter all their comandantes and esquineros and jefe de plazas ..
Delete@9:45 the Felix brothers were actually under Amado, and I would give the early 90’s to him up until his “death” in 97. Plenty of people did it longer than Amado, but nobody did it on the level he did it. You’re not landing no damn commercial airliner in Mexico today filled to the top with 5/7 tons at once.
DeleteYeah no oneis beating the lord of the skies
DeleteLa Barbie and Los Negros had them Zetas running and hiding for their lives
ReplyDeleteLíes 😂😂
DeleteI hear el Indio was a big trafficker in LA in the 90s. He was moving barrels of meth precursors when not much competition was around
Delete@9:44 barbie & 40 both had 1 brother killed by each other...
DeleteBut it was barbie who ran after he first didn't not just pay for 100 bricks...
But asked for 500kg more & still didnt pay.
That was really the issue, the merca.
Golfo/compania/Coss/40 were dum in giving him more merca if he didnt even pay the first one.
11:52
DeleteEl indio le hizo la hija a la Miss Universe Alicia Machado
@ 3:46 100% y esa dama fue la que el presidente de E.U Trump dino wue era una puerca...
DeleteA eso hiero le gustan la muñecas flacas como barbie
Pues mire la esposa mojada immigrante que trajo de europa
A mi que le faltan unos 10-20 kilos mas pa uno buen polvo
Only reason la barbie chose to get extradited was cuz he kept getting punked by Zs every prison he went 9:44
Delete@ 1:56 He got beat the fuck up by Sigifredo El Caanicon in prison.
DeleteAnd he ended up poisioning him Canicons poisioned body was barely given back to his family.
Barbie got the last laugh there tho.
Idk who else feom Zs ever laid a hand on him...
But Canicon
@ 9:01 how do you know this?
DeleteLos zetas tienen su lugar en la historia del narco en mexico .. si les valia berga a esos gallos .. la massacre en san fernanado , lo del casino , cuando destruyeron al Pueblo de allende .. la massacre en peten Guatemala.. El hummer el mamito el wache.. quien se acuerda del kilo de las 72 vidas en san fernando
ReplyDeleteGallos?
DeleteWere there 2 amarillos? Mauricio Guízar Cárdenas And Flavio Méndez Santiago ?
ReplyDeleteFlavio era Armadillo pero mucho lo confundian con Amarillo.
DeleteTambien a veces confundido con Antonio Galarza X4/Amarillo
Yes, but what's crazier is that Guizar Cardenas was the infamous and mysterious Z-200 who led Los Zetas murderous incursions into Central America. He was the cousin of another mysterious zeta. Z-43 who was an American citizen who went on to control much of the south of Mexico for Los Zetas started out with de cartel Mileno Related to the leadership of de cartel los Valencia, he joined Los Zetas and fought against them after they murdered his father.
Delete- La Plata -
Si it was Z-2000 dos mil I think.
DeleteDid all that savagery in guatemala & killed the brothers out there under 40s call.
To take control which it did even the president was takin 40s $$$
Z-200 and Dos Mil were two different bosses. Dos Mil or Panchito was a high ranking BLO boss who was the connection between the BLO and Los Zetas. Dos Mil was serious and connections all over with various cartels. I believe it was through Dos Mil that Los Zetas made incursions into Sonora and Sinaloa as a response to CDS and Chapo sending people along with LFM to Tamaulipis to join the CDG in its war against the spread of Los Zetas. I believe the short lived alliance was known as XXX/Cartel Unidos and served as one of the major reasons the CDG fractured into even more warring factions we see today.
Delete- La Plata -
Hmmmm orale
DeleteThanks for clarifying
Was it also XXX when there was the Coss/Azul CDD meeting in Valle Hermoso where Mario Pelon X20 betrayed CDG and decapitated X-18 Comandante Guerra that was og Z
I think Azul almost got killed in that shootout
Theres a corrido on Azul almost dying. Let me find it
Then veryyy very shortly after that meeting a few weeks later Coss was arrested by Marina in Tampico because he tried that play eith everyone united with XXX Cdg/Cds
Idk what Coss was thinking with that.
Noone from the frontera was going to be okay with that
1:43 La Plata
DeleteSomeone mentioned Z43 brother Toño being killed by Milenio but if I remember correctly one of the issues Tisico had with Maradona was the theft of cocaine by Valencia/s. Supposedly Maradona didn't take care of the issue after several thefts and Tisico had them hit.
How the Guízar familia from Michoacán became important members of Los Zetas IDK. From the brief comments that were made in that article it seems like the father of Toño and Z43 was involved in trafficking.
El Azul no era mandadero del Chapo y jamas estuvo en reuniones del CDG, pero si del Cartel del Golfo de Garcia Abrego
DeleteEl 2000 o Lic. Flores
Zetas went to Durango during their hey day and got slaughter by the CDS Durango faction.
ReplyDeleteThey went in with help from Los leyvas. Durango was mad crazy back when that went down.
DeleteSi botas blancas got along with lazca z3 well. That double combo there caused a lotttt of trouble.
DeleteObly way Cds won was because they had government/marina dismantling them
I think I read somewhere that Arturo and Heriberto became so close that in one occasion that Heriberto was almost captured allegedly Arturo sent a chopper to get him out . I think it was in one of Anabel Hernandez books. Also after Arturo died and Hector was boss. While Z40 and JGL had that legendary fued where both of them where dropping rival sicarios in each other's plazas of Sinaloa and Nuevo Laredo with signed narco mantas calling each other out. Well the few times Zetas hit CDS in Sinaloa was because H Beltran was letting them in .
Delete545 Those were charritos dropping them foo’s en Culiacán
Delete@ 5:45 I heard it was someone from sinaloa that almost got killed at a huge house party...
DeleteWhere all the og Zs (Mamito/Lucky/Flanders/Hummer and more) had completely surrounded them.
Arturo had to send a helicopter to save their ass.
I dont rhink z3 ever got that close to being captured needing a helicopter.
(Closest was when they raided a ranch & he lived in the brush w/o food and water for a week I rhink)
I think I know exactly what Ananel Hernandez book you mentioned.
There's a lot of lies or errors in them.
One of facts she should have mentioned was how/why z3/Zs were targeted/killed.
Lazca was making a parallel narco government & was buying generals in DF
That shit spooked EU, Zs were practically going to be a shadow government think of a CIA but less sophisticated of course...
Did marina really get the drop on him so easily & randomly?....
Z40 needed him as well, he didn't last but about a year after his death.
What this article forgot to mention is that during the time span that the Zetas took a huge beating from 2011 to 2016 CDS Chapo / Mayo where trying to take over those territories. CDS had the Mexican army in their pockets. They where paying bribes to Salvador Cienfuegos who was the head of the military at the time. This info came out during Chapo trail. Mayo sons testified to this. CDS also had an alliance with CDG. This alliance was one reason Zetas split from CDG. Zetas could not withstand the fight against everyone. CDS hitman working with Mexican military and also getting hit by CDG from the east. Too much. Nuff said!
ReplyDeleteCDS tenía al EjeMx en el bolsillo??
DeleteLo dudo muchísimo x tanta muerte q hubo por parte de la milicia.
Y para nada se le finca responsabilidad a Cienfuegos no hay señalamiento directo.
Lo único que hay es es el relato de un civil que entra por primera vez al hospital militar.
En las fotos salen varios y el señalamiento es difuso, nada fue concreto.
Those of us that remember.. Carteles Unidos. Various groups banded together to fight Z. Thats how dangerous they were. But they brought the heat on themselves.
DeleteSi eran los XXX y si tenian a la Marina en su lado al 100
DeleteEl azul habia hecho el pacto con el CDG
Zetas separated from golfo in 2010. Before 2011 bruhh
DeleteDamn, Lazca and his girl never skipped a meal
ReplyDeleteHeard that
DeleteQue observador
DeleteHis girl is in the black dress.
DeleteTrevino Morales... That dude was too much of a Hot head...
ReplyDeleteAll of them where hot heads. This was also part of their downfall. They did too many stupid things that brought them a lot of negative media attention and heat from the U.S and Mexican government. Take for example Nini killing a family and their 13 year old kid. Too much heat. He had to be sacrificed.
Delete@12:05 the family was related to a snitch working with DEA.
Delete14:29
DeleteY eso que?
If the Zetas had border corridors se used. Why the hell did they need Fresnillo, Zacatecas? They were choking that area for a while until Sinaloenses took them out
ReplyDeleteCDG/ZETAS had majority control of that state before their split. La Hamburguesa and his brother Chucho are said to be from that state and they had(Chucho got killed in Tamaulipas) or have(Hamburguesa was captured and I think still incarcerated in México) rank in CDG.
DeleteNo criminal group will voluntarily give up control of territory they control. CDG and ZETAS fought fiercely between themselves for Zacatecas when they split up. Panchito F1 is to my limited knowledge the last plaza/regional boss that claimed allegiance to Hamburguesa/CDG.
To your last comment, IDK about that since if I'm not mistaken F1 had that area under control.
11:57: fresnillo is in the center of everything pretty much connecting border states with southern states
DeleteAnyone remember El Enano of Zetas,he was sent to Zaca and was a ruthless bastard who eventually got plugged there,it may be Enano on the video of the 3 CDG in the field,and when they killed and chopped up the female cmdte of CDG,it is the same guy talking no doubt
Delete@11:57 CDS didn’t take them out… Z50 controlled Zacatecas until he found out that Z40 had his nephew killed in another state, after that Z50 went to war against Z40 calling him out and handed over the territory to CDG shortly before his arrest which is when F1 took control of it
Delete@8:10 40 really kill 50s nephew???
DeleteAny more info on this before & I'm really surprised...
Was this guy called El Diamante or was it La Torta?
I knew rhose 2 guys related to 50
I think those 2 were Talibans cousins tho...
Diamante got arrested for armas exlisivas pal ejercito in early 2000s I remeber. Got released of course but was actually booked
1:26 But have the Zetas always been there? I have info from a primary source who has lived there all his life. He comes from a wealthy Agricultural family. His stories about the Zetas terrorizing people in Fresnillo were around 2009 and up until they got pushed out. Now based on something I read, did P1 not get arrested in 2017 while visiting el Jardinero in Nayarit?
Delete11:57 It's a story I find hard to grasp. Zacatecas may be important but being the most important route? I don't buy that. If shipments for the Cartel del Golfo arrive in the caribe or the gulf of Mexico then why is Zacatecas even important? They have San Luis Potosi and all of Veracruz to use to their advantage towards Laredo. Okay so what if a shipment arrives through the pacific through Michoacan for the Golfo or the Zetas? Just head east and then north for a better route. It will probably only be 4-8 hours more each load. It makes no sense. Is this a fight over who's balls are bigger? Por sus huevos nomas? Or kid me even more through news articles and tell me it's for the small market of drugs there?! No way they fight over that; however the small groups in Michoacán are doing it over towns.
Delete2:10 I wouldn't know how far back "La Compañía" had operational control of Zacatecas. What year was the mass prison break they did? Also when the tons of mota were found on a ranch that belonged to the Monreal political familia. Since Amalia García governship?
DeleteF1 was arrested in Nayarit while on "vacation" I think. Remember when "Betty La Fea" got arrested in the Nayarit Riviera. He wasn't really known but the federal forces got him while "vacationing". Sometimes the government just does its job. IDK.
Francisco Medina Mejía, alias "El Quemado" was supposedly a proper lunatic killer,the worse you were the higher you rose,all the top guys didnt shirk from doing or killing anything.Los Zetas are responsible for changing the game
ReplyDeleteAnother good reason could be that the monreal brothers are from fresnillo n wanted full control since they are the ones who sold the state of Zac to los z's
ReplyDeleteSee sometimes I think it is big businesses hiring the narcos or associating with them in some mutual benefit. Honestly apart from Agricultural and mining fields, what opportunity is there as a narco turf?
DeleteLook at that picture of rat bastards,reminds you of POLITICIANS the world over,venal,duplicitous,hypocritical cunts
ReplyDeleteA mí me tocó Tamaulipas en la época fuerte de los Z.
ReplyDeleteQue cosa tan fuerte, capillas de la santa muerte en cada esquina y camionetas con personas hablando x radios cada cierta cantidad de metros
First time i went to mex back in the summer of 2009, I went to chihuas. It lowkey felt scary asf passing thru juarez and everything in between juarez and the south side of chihuahua city.
DeletePor qué mijo?
DeleteYo soy de Juárez y en ese momento vivía en Tamaulipas, pero me impresionó el ambiente
Lol that last photo.. All bracing arms except for 40..
ReplyDeleteZ40 looked like the Mala copa for that party. One line he sniffs and he thinks he's better then everybody
DeleteScrew the Zetas. They don’t know how to hustle only how to kill. That makes you the enemy and target of everyone. Only the real drug cartels last. Gas thieves extortionists always end up fracturing and fizzing out like a spent bottle rocket.
ReplyDeleteYup zetas were zombies. No brain only hunger to kill (eat human flesh)
DeleteUnfortunately the Zetas were definitely strong with the hustle. They moved big weight in Texas, California, Oklahoma, and Chicago. Z40 and Z42 even liked coming to Chicago for the mariscos. Rumor is he handled himself like a businessman. Before the terror that he became that is. They say he even murdered the people in Chicago who stole his shipments. He did not give a fuck. He put the fear in the thieves. Just last week or two someone got burned throughout his entire body. He still has the bandages. The word is he started hanging out with someone who stole a load of drugs. People from Mexico were sent and they went after him mistakenly. As for the man that stole what wasn't his. He made it towards the border in a trunk and is now somewhere in Juarez in many pieces. They will get anywhere if they hate you enough
DeleteThe way El Lazca took his wife Fanny is a curse. Probably the reason he ended up dead eventually. The same with the Caballeros Templarios. They were taking other women that didn't belong to them. You want the Mexican to react? Take the women and you'll get action very swiftly. It happened in bars around Guadalajara too. Late 00s. Some narcos with bodyguards in a brand new Escalade would take your girlfriend in the club into his VIP and there is nothing you could do about it. That's what Chapito tried to do too when he hung around the clubs there but the Canadian girl's rejection towards him was too much for him to handle
ReplyDeleteGo back to sleep, BB will be here in the morning.
DeleteFanny JAMÁS fue la esposa.
DeleteFue la novia
1:27 AM
DeleteThat is a myth,even her family call bullshit on that story,yes it may have been los zetas as many cartels do in their plazas.
The chapito story seems it may be true