Osiel Cárdenas Guillén

Arrest of García Abrego

Following Juan García Abrego's 1996 arrest by Mexican authorities and subsequent extradition to the United States, his brother Humberto García Abrego tried to take over the leadership of the Gulf Cartel but ultimately failed, having neither the leadership skills nor the support of the Colombian drug-provisioners. In addition, he was widely known and under surveillance; his surname alone guaranteed this. He was to be replaced by Óscar Malherbe de León and Raúl Valladares del Ángel, until their arrest a short time later. This led several cartel lieutenants to fight for the leadership. Malherbe tried to bribe officials with $2 million to obtain his release, but it was denied. Hugo Baldomero Medina Garza, known as El Señor de los Tráilers, is considered one of the most important members of the Gulf Cartel. He was one of the top cartel officials for more than 40 years, trafficking about 20 long tons (22 short tons) of cocaine to the United States each month. His luck ended in November 2000 when he was captured in Tampico, Tamaulipas and imprisoned in La Palma. After Medina Garza's arrest, his cousin Adalberto Garza Dragustinovis was investigated for allegedly forming part of the Gulf Cartel and for laundering money; this case is still open. The next in line was Sergio Gómez alias El Checo, however, his leadership was short-lived when he was assassinated in April 1996 in Valle Hermoso. After this, Cárdenas took control of the cartel in July 1999 after assassinating Salvador Gómez Herrera alias El Chava, co-leader of the Gulf Cartel and his close friend, earning his nickname Mata Amigos (Friend Killer).

Cárdenas' arrest and extradition

Osiel Cárdenas Guillén was captured in the city of Matamoros, on 14 March 2003 in a shootout between the Mexican military and Gulf Cartel gunmen. He was one of the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives; they were offering $2 million for his capture. According to government archives, this six-month military operation was planned and carried out in secret; the only people informed were President Vicente Fox, Mexico's Secretary of Defense Gerardo Clemente Vega, and Mexico's Attorney General, Rafael Macedo de la Concha. It is believed that he was located based on information provided by Alejandro Lucio Morales Betancourt (Z-2), Osiel Cardenas personal pilot and former Special Forces Intelligence officer who acted as Guzmán Decenas second in command who possibly turned against Osiel Cardenas after his capture in 2001. After his capture, Osiel Cárdenas was sent to the federal, high-security prison La Palma. However, it was believed that Cárdenas still controlled the Gulf Cartel from prison. He was extradited in 2007 to the United States, where he was sentenced to 25 years in a prison in Houston for money laundering, drug trafficking, homicide and death threats to U.S. federal agents. Reports from the PGR and El Universal state that while in prison, Osiel Cárdenas and Benjamín Arellano Félix, from the Tijuana Cartel, formed an alliance. Moreover, through handwritten notes, Osiel Cárdenas gave orders on the movement of drugs in Mexico and into the United States, approved executions, and signed forms to allow the purchase of police forces. And while his brother Antonio Cárdenas Guillén led the Gulf Cartel, Osiel Cárdenas still gave vital orders while in La Palma sending messages through his lawyers and guards.

The arrest and extradition of Osiel Cárdenas, however, caused several top lieutenants from both the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas to fight over important drug corridors to the United States, especially in the cities of Matamoros, Nuevo Laredo, Reynosa, and Tampico—all situated in Tamaulipas state. They also fought for coastal cities Acapulco and Cancún; the state capital of Monterrey, and the states of Veracruz and San Luis Potosí. Using violence and intimidation, Heriberto Lazcano took control of both Los Zetas and the Gulf Cartel after Cárdenas’ extradition. Lieutenants who were once loyal to Cárdenas began following Lazcano's orders. He tried to reorganize the cartel by appointing several lieutenants to control specific territories. Morales Treviño was appointed to oversee Nuevo León; Jorge Eduardo Costilla Sánchez in Matamoros; Héctor Manuel Sauceda Gamboa, nicknamed El Karis, took control of Nuevo Laredo; Gregorio Sauceda Gamboa, known as El Goyo, along with his brother Arturo, took control of the Reynosa plaza; Arturo Basurto Peña, alias El Grande, and Iván Velásquez Caballero alias El Talibán took control of Quintana Roo and Guerrero; and Alberto Sánchez Hinojosa, alias Comandante Castillo, took over Tabasco. However, continual disagreement was leading the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas into an inevitable rupture.