Gulf Cartel Boss 'El Contador' Arrested in Mexico Near Texas Border, Warnings of Possible Retaliation From Members Issued

Alfredo "El Contador" Cardenas, an elusive Gulf Cartel leader, was arrested in Mexico's state of Tamaulipas on Saturday.

According to Breitbart, state police forces arrested El Contador in Matamoros city based on various criminal charges filed by the Tamaulipas Attorney General's Office (FGJ).

El Contador, a known top leader of the Gulf Cartel in Matamoros and its surrounding areas, is a relative of jailed drug kingpin Osiel Cardenas Guillen, the former head of the Gulf Cartel and founder of the Los Zetas cartel.

Mexican authorities have already arrested El Contador twice in the past. However, the feared drug cartel boss was released by federal judges under suspicious rulings after claims of irregularities in the case.

El Contador's arrest came a week after Tamaulipas state police forces apprehended another Gulf Cartel leader named Obed Pena, who was a regional leader in Diaz Ordaz city.

Mexican authorities then turned him over to their U.S. counterparts in relation to a murder in Hidalgo County in Texas. A Hidalgo County Justice of the Peace has formally charged Pena with one count of murder and one count of attempted murder, and a judge has set his bonds at $2 million.

In response to his arrest, members of the Gulf Cartel reportedly set out blockades and a series of attacks in Diaz Ordaz, Miguel Aleman, and Reynosa cities. They fired their firearms to scare the public and knocked down security police cameras.

Arrest of El Contador Sets Warning of Possible Retaliation From Gulf Cartel

After the arrest of El Contador and Obed Pena, the Texas Military Department (TMD) and Department of Public Safety (DPS) issued a warning over a possible retaliation from the Gulf Cartel.

Breitbart reported that officials of TMD and DPS warned the National Guard soldiers and DPS troopers working in securing the border about possible retaliation from the Gulf Cartel's Matamoros faction.

"We assess threats against our entire force daily, and as those threats evolve, so do our force protection measures," TMD Director of Communications Colonel Rita Holton told Breitbart.

Holton assured their service members are "well-trained" and "always ready" to serve the state and secure the U.S.-Mexico border.

Meanwhile, Texas DPS Spokesman Lt. Chris Olivarez underscored that there were no specific threats against their personnel as of Sunday. However, Olivarez still advised their troops to "remain vigilant."

Gulf Cartel in Mexico

The Gulf Cartel is one of Mexico's oldest and most powerful criminal groups before losing in recent years its territory over rivals, including its former enforcer faction, the Zetas.

The criminal activities of the Gulf Cartel can be dated back to 1984 when Juan Garcia Abrego was in control of the drug-trafficking business that his uncle formerly headed.

InSight Crime reported that the Gulf Cartel is still in control of a key criminal area in Tamaulipas that allows the group to continue trafficking large drug shipments across the U.S.-Mexico border.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Joshua Summers

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