Cártel del Golfo Escorpiones Leader Arrested in Queretaro

By "El Huaso" for Borderland Beat

Mexican authorities have apprehended Felipe Jesús Ceballos Tovar alias "El Franco 6," identified as the presumed successor to José Francisco "N," known as "Alfa 1," a key figure in the Escorpiones faction of the Gulf Cartel in the states of Queretaro and Guanajuato.

Felipe Jesús Ceballos Tovar alias "El Franco 6"

The operation, which included two raids in the Fraccionamiento Puerta Real area, also led to the detention of another individual, Marcelino "N," another accused Escorpiones member. 

The arrest, announced by Omar García Harfuch, Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, took place on July 2, 2025, in Querétaro. Both men operated in the states of Guanajuato and Querétaro, and are accused of drug dealing, homicide, and recruitment for Los Escorpiones.

José Francisco Contreras Gómez "El Alfa 1" of the Gulf Cartel's "Los Escorpiones" cell, arrested in March 2025.

Franco 6 assumed leadership after José Francisco Contreras Gómez "El Alfa 1", the previous plaza boss for the Gulf Cartel's "Los Escorpiones" faction, was arrested in March 2025. Alfa 1 had been identified as a main criminal element in the region, having been arrested numerous times since 2009 for a variety of offenses including; kidnapping, hydrocarbon theft, drug dealing, homicides and armed attacks on rival criminal organizations.  

He was targeted as part of a government crackdown on those accused of perpetrating the Cantaritos Bar attack in Querétaro last November, where 10 people were killed and were 13 injured.

According to authorities, the target of this attack was Fernando González Núñez "La Flaca", a CJNG officer based out of Queretaro, who was killed at Cantaritos along with nine other unaffiliated patrons. La Flaca was a high profile figure who maintained an active social media page where he showed off vacations, firearms, and recruited gunmen. The Attorneys General Office stated that the attack was revenge for an earlier CJNG attack on the Mr Barbas restaurant/bar in Celaya, which occurred on July 15, 2024. 

Fernando González Núñez "La Flaca", a CJNG officer based out of Queretaro, who was killed at the Cantaritos Bar attack by CSRL/CDG Escorpiones in November 2024.

The operation yielded significant seizures, including vehicles, drugs, and electronic devices, which are expected to provide further evidence against the detained individuals.

Zeta Tijuana reported that "El Franco 6" was a plaza boss for the Gulf Cartel's "Los Escorpiones" faction, an armed wing allied with the Cartel Santa Rosa de Lima. Local media, including AM Noticias, noted the suspect's alliance with "El Marro:, of the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel.

Sources: Twitter Harfuch,, Am Noticias, Proceso, Milenio, Zeta Tijuana, La Silla Rota