Juan Nepomuceno Guerra
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Juan Nepomuceno Guerra Cárdenas (July 18, 1915 – July 12, 2001) was a
Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...
drug lord A drug lord, drug baron, kingpin or narcotrafficker is a high-ranking crime boss who controls a sizable network of people involved in the illegal drug trade. Such figures are often difficult to bring to justice, as they are normally not directly ...
who founded and led the Gulf Cartel for over 50 years. He is often considered the "godfather" of U.S-Mexico border cartels. He began his criminal career in the 1930s by smuggling alcohol from Mexico during the
Prohibition in the United States In the United States from 1920 to 1933, a Constitution of the United States, nationwide constitutional law prohibition, prohibited the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages. The alcohol industry was curtai ...
. He later diversified to other cross-border smuggling activities. He is the uncle of
Juan García Ábrego ''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 ...
, his successor in the cartel and once considered Mexico's most-wanted man.


Early life and career

During the 1930s he began smuggling whisky across the
Mexico–United States border The Mexico–United States border ( es, frontera Estados Unidos–México) is an international border separating Mexico and the United States, extending from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Gulf of Mexico in the east. The border traver ...
through south
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
. Through shrewd political connections he had fostered, Nepomuceno Guerra was able to control all the contraband moving across the
Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The length of the Rio G ...
. In the 1970s, his nephew
Juan García Abrego Juan García Abrego (born September 13, 1944) is a Mexican convicted drug lord and former leader of the Gulf Cartel, a criminal group based in the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico. He started in the cartel under the tutelage of his uncle Juan Nepo ...
began utilizing those connections and developed the organization into a drug cartel primarily dedicated to the more lucrative business of smuggling
cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...
. According to news sources, despite allegedly founding one of the largest drug cartels in Mexico, Juan Nepomuceno Guerra never spent more than "a few hours in jail" for his crimes. He died of respiratory disease.


Legacy

On June 18, 2015, the
Governor of Tamaulipas This is a list of governors of Tamaulipas since it became a Political divisions of Mexico, state of Mexico in 1822, it includes the list of governors of Nuevo Santander (New Santander) the name of the Spanish province in northeast New Spain befor ...
Egidio Torre Cantú Egidio Torre Cantú (born June 19, 1957 in Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas) is a Mexican politician affiliated with the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) who served as governor of Tamaulipas for the term 2011 through 2016. Personal life E ...
inaugurated a street under his name, "Juan N. Guerra", in
Reynosa, Tamaulipas 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 Met ...
. The street was inaugurated along with seven others and is located in the working-class neighborhood Reserva Territorial Campestre.


In popular culture

In '' Narcos: Mexico'', Juan Nepomuceno Guerra is played by the Mexican actor Jesus Ochoa.


See also

* Mexican Drug War


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nepomuceno Guerra, Juan Bootleggers Gulf Cartel members Mexican drug traffickers Mexican money launderers Mexican drug war Mexican prisoners and detainees People from Tamaulipas Mexican crime bosses People from Matamoros, Tamaulipas 1915 births 2001 deaths