Omar Ortiz Uribe (born 13 March 1976) is a Mexican former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who played as a

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

and convicted kidnapper. He made his debut in 1997 with Monterrey. He later spent several successful seasons at Atletico Celaya and Jaguares de Chiapas. During his time at Celaya, he earned one cap for

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, which came against Guatemala during the

2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the sixth edition of the Gold Cup, the soccer championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF). The tournament was once again held in the United States, in Miami and Pasadena. The forma ...

. Ortiz made his Atlante debut on February 25, 2009, during a CONCACAF Champions League semi-final against Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer. In May 2010, he was banned from football for two years for twice testing positive for the banned steroids

oxymetholone Oxymetholone, sold under the brand names Anadrol and Anapolon among others, is an androgen and anabolic steroid (AAS) medication which is used primarily in the treatment of anemia. It is also used to treat osteoporosis, HIV/AIDS wasting syndrom ...

and

masteron Drostanolone propionate, or dromostanolone propionate, sold under the brand names Drolban, Masteril, and Masteron among others, is an androgen and anabolic steroid (AAS) medication which was used to treat breast cancer in women but is now no long ...

. Ortiz is popularly known for his nickname El Gato (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

: ''The Cat'') for his "feline face" and green eyes.

Arrest and conviction

On January 6, 2012, rumors began to spread of him being kidnapped, but it was later confirmed that the Mexican authorities had arrested him outside his home in Monterrey after two kidnapping suspects were detained and confessed his involvement in the kidnappings. After a couple of days, Ortiz's family members decided to report on his disappearance, but the authorities first refused to comment on the incident. Upon his arrest, Ortiz was charged for working with a gang responsible for at least 20 kidnappings, among them the abduction of

Gloria Trevi Gloria de los Ángeles Treviño Ruiz (born February 15, 1968), known as Gloria Trevi (), is a Mexican singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, television hostess, music video director and businesswoman known as "The Supreme Diva of Mexican Pop". ...

's husband in 2011. The 35-year-old Ortiz admitted to have picked out two rich people for the kidnapping ring, since his job was to select wealthy families from his same social circle. The gang allegedly demanded around 1 million

pesos The peso is the monetary unit of several countries in the Americas, and the Philippines. Originating in the Spanish Empire, the word translates to "weight". In most countries the peso uses the same sign, "$", as many currencies named "dollar" ...

($59,500 US dollars ov. 2015 for the release of each victim. He later confessed that the kidnapping ring was working for the infamous criminal organization known as the Gulf Cartel. Reports from the government of Nuevo León mentioned that Ortiz had an addiction to

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Ameri ...

. In fact, ''

La Jornada ''La Jornada'' (''The Working Day'') is one of Mexico City's leading daily newspapers. It was established in 1984 by Carlos Payán Velver. The current editor ''(directora general)'' is Carmen Lira Saade. ''La Jornada'' has presence in eight sta ...

'' newspaper mentions that Ortiz became part of the kidnapping ring due to his drug addiction. Ortiz also confessed to have experienced "financial problems" after he was banned for playing professional football for two years after consuming illegal substances. George W. Grayson, a drug war analyst and expert of Mexican politics, said that Ortiz's arrest shows the "possible ubiquity of organized crime

n Mexico N, or n, is the fourteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...

" He was sent to a prison in Cadereyta, Nuevo León. He was found guilty of at least three kidnappings and was sentenced to 75 years in prison on 8 January 2019.

References

'
The paintings of artist Omar Ortiz (2014)
''

External links

Omar Ortiz stats at Medio Tiempo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ortiz, Omar 1976 births Living people Footballers from Nuevo León Mexico men's international footballers C.F. Monterrey players Atlante F.C. footballers Chiapas F.C. footballers Club Necaxa footballers Men's association football goalkeepers Liga MX players 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup players Doping cases in association football Footballers from Monterrey Mexican kidnappers Mexican footballers