CDG Chismes: Broken Ceasefire & More

 By Itzli. 

Welcome to another round of news and gossip related to the Cártel del Golfo (CDG, Gulf Cartel). It’s been two and a half weeks since we first did this sort of article and there’s been a few things that almost made me do a new one that we’ll start off with.

For those that missed it, I did an update to the last article on March 1st to answer a question about increased violence in Ciudad Victoria. I won’t repeat all that or really do much of an update other than there have still been killings taking place and it’s being said that Cártel del Noreste is behind the increased violence. Situaciones de Riesgo (SDR) reports have been surprisingly quiet in Río Bravo; instead, the majority are taking place between Reynosa and San Fernando.

What has caught my eye is the number of police actions taking place:

• March 3rd in Río Bravo- Guardia Estatal seizes weapons, marijuana, and vehicles

• March 3rd in Reynosa- Army seizes methamphetamines and a stolen vehicle

• March 4th in Miguel Aleman- Guardia Estatal seizes marijuana

• March 4th near Linares- Fuerza Civil seized weapons

• March 10th in Ciudad Mier- Army seizes weapons and an armored “monstruo” truck 

• March 10th in Camargo- Army seizes vehicles, an armored “monstruo” truck, and marijuana

• March 10th in Ciudad Victoria- Policía Estatal seized weapons and vehicles, 3 arrested

• March 10th in Matamoros- Army seizes weapons

• March 11th in Río Bravo- Army seizes weapons and vehicles

• March 12th San Fernando- Methamphetamines found at checkpoint near La Lomita 

Another thing worth noting is clashes between cartel members and government forces. Before dawn on March 4th the Matamoros Faction of the CDG got into it with the Marina in Santa Rita, a small town in the San Fernando municipality near the coast. One cartel member was killed and eleven arrested (four of them were injured). It appears that this was a cell under Escorpión 18.

A somewhat similar event took place in ejido Paso Real, on the southwest outskirts of the city of San Fernando on March 10th, this time the Guardia Estatal was attacked and three Zetas Vieja Escuela (ZVE) cartel members were injured in the shootout.

The Broken Ceasefire

The big story revolves around the ceasefire that was reached between the Cártel del Noreste (CDN) and Los Metros CDG that was reached on February 25th. Days later more information came out, citizens who fled towns like Peña Blanca that had seen back and forth control were told they could return home safely. The dividing line between forces was presented as being Los Guerra straight south to a point just west of El Zacate and then a diagonal line to Doctor Cross before going south again to General Bravo, with the southern part being a neutral zone, although China itself appears to remain under the control of Los Metros. 

March 3rd, Guardia Estatal helicopter gets shot at near Arcabuz, which would be in CDN but near the border line. Same day Los Metros forces under Leonel Artemio “El Chaparro” Bazán García clashed with Fuerza Civil in General Bravo. A day later a CDN member was arrested in China. Also on March 4th a CDN member was arrested in Doctor Coss after an attack on a Fuerza Civil and military forces traveling there to provide backup. It was said that CDN leader Juan “La Sombra” Cisneros Treviño was giving them orders via radio. On March 6th reports of at least three cartel roadblocks between China and General Bravo as well as armored vehicle movement to the northwest. If that didn’t look like enough of a powder keg, last week on March 11th the bodies of three decapitated women were left in El Zacate. I’m surprised pictures never came out as widely as it was reported. Next day someone was arrested with weapons after attacking Fuerza Civil in Los Aldamas.  

You’d think with all that going on that would be the area where the ceasefire would break down but nope, a shootout took place yesterday evening outside Los Guerra and two CDN members were killed. Another clash took place in Nuevo Leon in San Bartolo, just south of Cadereyta Jiménez. So the ceasefire has been broken after lasting shorter than five Danny Divitos, I mean four weeks. The question is will this turn back into full scale war or will they somehow get past this and continue the ceasefire? In recent days it seems that they had been taking advantage of peace, with Los Metros allegedly reinforcing the CJNG in Zacatecas and CDN making moves in San Luis Potosi.