Authorities secure two houses and 17 collectable vehicles owned by Gulf Cartel faction boss 'El Vaquero'

 ”MX” for Borderland Beat

Elements of the Tamaulipas Special Operations Group (GOPES) seized two properties in Matamoros that were owned by the Gulf Cartel faction boss Evaristo Cruz Sanchez (‘El Vaquero’). Mexican authorities have an arrest warrant against El Vaquero and are offering up to MXN$2 million to anyone who provides valuable information that leads to his capture.

Both houses were located in Buenavista, a neighborhood close to downtown. In the first property, authorities seized 8 collection vehicles, 4 aquatic motorbikes, a scooter, a light plant, a welding plant, and a gold-plated revolver with an encrusted image of the folk saint La Santa Muerte (Our Lady of the Holy Death). Investigators say that El Vaquero used this property as an office.

At the second property, authorities seized 9 more collection vehicles and an unspecified amount of marijuana. Some of the marijuana was hidden in these vehicles.

The state government did not report a single capture since no one was at the two properties when agents raided them.

This is the second largest seizure against assets owned by El Vaquero. Earlier this month, the GOPES seized a ranched he owned in the outskirts of Matamoros. The ranch included a mansion, pool, gym, an event center, warehouses, 20 pure-bred horses, an exotic bird and two vehicles.

Background

El Vaquero is a high-ranking cartel member who has ties to the Matamoros faction. He is also known by his alias Ciclon 46, in reference to the local faction Los Ciclones. Since mid-2019, El Vaquero was vying for the control of Matamoros.

His main rival is Mario Alberto Cárdenas Medina (‘El Betito’), another local cartel boss. El Betito was arrested in 2019 but continued to fight El Vaquero for control of Matamoros by siding with local plaza boss Raul Garcia Martinez (‘Escorpion 2′) and Carlos Martinez Perez (“El Cuate”), son-in-law of former Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas boss Osiel Cardenas Guillen.

The day after his ranch was seized, U.S. and Mexico authorities announced they were joining efforts to capture El Vaquero by including him in the bi-national law enforcement program Se Busca Informacion (Seeking Information), as reported by Borderland Beat.

In efforts to pressure the government, El Vaquero launched an assault against security forces in Matamoros the following day. Taxi and bus drivers blocked roads and paralyzed most of the city’s main avenues. These measures were reportedly coordinated by Mario Torrente (‘La Marrana’), a cartel member under El Vaquero.

Borderland Beat analysis

Borderland Beat interviewed several business owners in Matamoros that confirmed to us that the rumor in town is that Tamaulipas Governor Francisco Javier Garcia Cabeza de Vaca was specifically targeting El Vaquero and other Gulf Cartel members he does not support. This reportedly included Matamoros ex-treasurer Luis Miguel Garcia Fuentes, who was linked to the Gulf Cartel, as reported by Borderland Beat.

This selective engagement has triggered a violent response from cartel members. As reported in our forum page, at least two high-profile businessmen were reportedly kidnapped by El Vaquero to pressure the government to stop.

Violence in Matamoros is broken down into multiple fronts: (1) El Vaquero’s faction against security forces; (2) El Vaquero’s faction against the other Matamoros group headed by El Betito; and, to a certain extent, (3) El Betito’s faction against the security forces.

Sources: Milenio and Borderland Beat archives