Los Rojos is a faction of a Mexican drug trafficking organization known as the
Gulf Cartel.
The group was formed in the late 1990s during the reign of
Osiel Cárdenas Guillén
Osiel Cárdenas Guillén (born 18 May 1967) is a Mexican drug lord and the former leader of the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas. Originally a mechanic in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, he entered the cartel by killing Juan GarcÃa Abrego's friend and comp ...
, the former leader of the cartel, to provide security to the organization's leaders as the cartel's armed wing.
[
The current leader of Los Rojos is ]Juan MejÃa González
''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...
, alias ''El R1''. On 2 September 2011, MejÃa González and Rafael Cárdenas Vela
Rafael Cárdenas Vela (a.k.a. ''El Junior'') is a former Mexican drug lord and high-ranking lieutenant of the Gulf Cartel. He is the nephew of Antonio and Osiel Cárdenas Guillén, two men who at one time led the criminal organization.
Born an ...
, two leaders of the Rojos, ordered the assassination of the drug lord Samuel Flores Borrego
Samuel Flores Borrego (a.k.a. Metro 3; 6 August 1972 – 2 September 2011) was a Mexican drug lord and high-ranking lieutenant of the Gulf Cartel. He was a former state judicial policeman who protected the ex-leader of the Gulf cartel, Osiel Cà ...
, who commanded the Metros, another faction within the Gulf cartel.[
The death of Flores Borrego triggered a series of confrontations between the Rojos and the Metros throughout the end of 2011.] Nonetheless, in early 2012, the Metros emerged victorious in the infighting and have relegated the Rojos to a less-powerful position in the cartel operatives.[
]
Fight with Los Metros
In the late 1990s, Osiel Cárdenas Guillén
Osiel Cárdenas Guillén (born 18 May 1967) is a Mexican drug lord and the former leader of the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas. Originally a mechanic in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, he entered the cartel by killing Juan GarcÃa Abrego's friend and comp ...
, the former leader of the Gulf cartel, had other similar groups besides Los Zetas
Los Zetas (, Spanish for "The Zs") is a Mexican criminal syndicate, regarded as one of the most dangerous of Mexico's drug cartels. They are known for engaging in brutally violent "shock and awe" tactics such as beheadings, torture, and indiscr ...
established in several cities in Tamaulipas. Each of these groups were identified by their radio codes: the Rojos were based in Reynosa
Reynosa () is a border city in the northern part of the state of Tamaulipas, in Mexico. It is also the municipal seat of Reynosa Municipality.
The city is located on the southern bank of the Rio Grande in the international Reynosa–McAllen Me ...
; the Metros were headquartered in Matamoros; and the Lobos were established in Laredo.[ The infighting between the Metros and the Rojos of the Gulf cartel began in 2010, when ]Juan MejÃa González
''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...
, nicknamed ''El R-1'', was overlooked as the candidate of the regional boss of Reynosa and was sent to the "Frontera Chica," an area that encompasses Miguel Alemán, Camargo and Ciudad Mier – directly across the U.S.–Mexico border from Starr County, Texas
Starr County is located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 65,920. Its county seat is Rio Grande City. The county was created in 1848. It is named for James Harper Starr, who served as Secretary of the Treasu ...
. The area that MejÃa González wanted was given to Flores Borrego, suggesting that the Metros were above the Rojos.[
Unconfirmed information released by '' The Monitor'' indicated that two leaders of the Rojos, MejÃa González and ]Rafael Cárdenas Vela
Rafael Cárdenas Vela (a.k.a. ''El Junior'') is a former Mexican drug lord and high-ranking lieutenant of the Gulf Cartel. He is the nephew of Antonio and Osiel Cárdenas Guillén, two men who at one time led the criminal organization.
Born an ...
, teamed up to kill Flores Borrego.[ Cárdenas Vela had held a grudge on Flores Borrego and the Metros because he believed that they had led the Mexican military to track down and kill his uncle ]Antonio Cárdenas Guillén
Antonio Ezequiel Cárdenas Guillén (5 March 1962 – 5 November 2010), commonly referred to by his alias Tony Tormenta ("Tony Storm"), was a Mexican drug lord and co-leader of the Gulf Cartel, a drug trafficking organization based in Tamau ...
(''Tony Tormenta'') on 5 November 2010.[ Other sources indicate that the infighting could have been caused by the suspicions that the Rojos were "too soft" on the Gulf cartel's bitter enemy, ]Los Zetas
Los Zetas (, Spanish for "The Zs") is a Mexican criminal syndicate, regarded as one of the most dangerous of Mexico's drug cartels. They are known for engaging in brutally violent "shock and awe" tactics such as beheadings, torture, and indiscr ...
. When the Gulf cartel and Los Zetas split in early 2010, some members of the Rojos stayed with the Gulf cartel, while others decided to leave and join the forces of Los Zetas.
InSight Crime
InSight Crime is a non-profit journalism and investigative organization specialized in organized crime in Latin America and the Caribbean. The organization has offices in Washington, D.C., and MedellÃn, Colombia.
InSight Crime has received funds ...
explains that the fundamental disagreement between the Rojos and the Metros was over leadership. Those who were more loyal to the Cárdenas family stayed with the Rojos, while those loyal to Jorge Eduardo Costilla Sánchez
Jorge Eduardo Costilla Sánchez (born 1 August 1971), is a Mexican former drug lord and top leader of the criminal drug trafficking organization known as the Gulf Cartel. He was among Mexico's most-wanted drug lords.
He joined the ranks of t ...
, like Flores Borrego, defended the Metros.[
Originally, the Gulf cartel was running smoothly, but the infighting between the two factions in the Gulf cartel triggered when Flores Borrego was killed on 2 September 2011.][ When the Rojos turned on the Metros, the largest faction in the Gulf cartel, firefights broke throughout Tamaulipas and drug loads were stolen among each other, but the Metros managed to retain control of the major cities that stretched from Matamoros to ]Miguel Alemán, Tamaulipas
-->
Miguel is a given name and surname, the Portuguese and Spanish form of the Hebrew name Michael (given name), Michael. It may refer to:
Places
*Pedro Miguel, a parish in the municipality of Horta and the island of Faial in the Azores Islands ...
.
Southern Mexico
Santiago Mazari Hernández "El Carrete" was arrested in Leonardo Bravo, Guerrero on August 1, 2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
after a ten-year search. Also arrested was "Marco N," his presumed principal operator. Mazari Hernández's sister, Gabriela Mazari Hernández "La Gorda", said to be responsible for logistics of the group, had been arrested last March. With these arrests, police believe the cartel has been virtually dismantled. Their primary rivals in Morelos and Guerrero
Guerrero is one of the 32 states that comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 81 municipalities and its capital city is Chilpancingo and its largest city is Acapulcocopied from article, GuerreroAs of 2020, Guerrero the pop ...
were Jalisco New Generation Cartel
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel ( es, Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación) or CJNG, formerly known as ''Los Mata Zetas'', is a semi-militarized Mexican criminal group based in Jalisco which is headed by Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes ("El Me ...
, the Beltrán-Leyva Cartel, and Guerreros Unidos.
References
External links
Mexico's government begins to retake Northeastern Mexico
archived
— Gary J. Hale, James Baker Institute
Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy, also known as the Baker Institute, is an American think tank on the campus of Rice University in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1993, it functions as a center for public policy research. It is named ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rojos, Los
Organizations established in the 1990s
1990s establishments in Mexico
Gangs in Mexico
Mexican drug war
Gulf Cartel