An adult cartel lieutenant broke out of a Tamaulipas juvenile detention facility where he was serving time for extortion. State authorities are tight-lipped about the escape and the probes into jailers who aided in the escape. The man belongs to a new Mexican border state organization going by the name “Cartel X.”
Over the past weekend, 22-year-old Mario Otoniel Garza Mendez slipped out of a state juvenile detention center in Guemez, law enforcement sources revealed to Breitbart Texas. The fugitive is a top leader within the newly formed Cartel X, which is fighting against the Cartel Del Noreste faction of Los Zetas and the Gulf Cartel for control of the state capital, Ciudad Victoria.
Even though he is now an adult, Garza Mendez was a minor at the time of his conviction. He must therefore serve his full sentence in his original facility.
The Tamaulipas government has not released any formal statements about the case, however, law enforcement sources tell Breitbart Texas that prison guards and some state police officers are under investigation for letting Garza Mendez walk out the front door. The guards claim the fugitive scaled a perimeter wall to freedom, however.
Garza Mendez is considered a close associate of Jesus Gilberto “El Cholo” Acuña Jurado, the founding leader of Cartel X. Authorities in Chihuahua arrested El Cholo in July 2020 for extortion in Tamaulipas. The new organization is responsible for executions, abductions, and arson as a way of pressuring businesses to change the recipients of protection fees.
Originally a member of the CDN-Los Zetas, Garza Mendez was tied to criminal activity since his early teen years and used the nickname “El Soberano.” However, a betrayal within CDN-Los Zetas led to the kidnapping of Garza Mendez. He was tortured and left for dead. After he recuperated, he and El Cholo began to recruit Los Zetas deserters to form Cartel X. The fledgling organization initially focused on meth sales but recently branched into protection rackets.
Editor’s Note: Breitbart Texas traveled to the Mexican States of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, and Nuevo León to recruit citizen journalists willing to risk their lives and expose the cartels silencing their communities. The writers would face certain death at the hands of the various cartels that operate in those areas including the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas if a pseudonym were not used. Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles are published in both English and in their original Spanish. This article was written by “Francisco Morales” from Tamaulipas.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.