Mexico’s Security Cabinet announced Tuesday the arrest in Tamaulipas of José Ignacio N., alias Nacho Vega, the alleged leader and financial operator of the Gulf Cartel (CDG). According to information circulating on social media, he is linked to crimes such as kidnapping, extortion, homicide, attacks on authorities, and trafficking of drugs, people, and weapons into the United States.
Inter-agency intelligence work at the state and federal levels led to the location of Nacho Vega’s area of operation in Matamoros, where he was apprehended and two rifles, ammunition, and magazines were seized. The authorities’ statement also details that the accused has an arrest warrant in the Southern District of Texas for conspiracy, drug distribution and smuggling, as well as operating a criminal enterprise.
U.S. authorities identify the Gulf Cartel as one of Mexico’s oldest and most dangerous criminal groups, with roots dating back to the 1930s. The organization’s stronghold is in the state of Tamaulipas, which shares approximately 370 kilometers of border with Texas. Last February, the Gulf Cartel and five other Mexican criminal organizations were designated as international terrorist organizations by the Trump Administration.
The statement from federal authorities also identifies Nacho Vega as the head of the Scorpions and Cyclones cells. The Scorpions, the armed wing of the Gulf Cartel, was created by Antonio Ezequiel Cárdenas Guillén, alias Tony Tormenta, between approximately 2006 and 2007. Its purpose was to serve as his personal guard and elite security force against the influence of Los Zetas, another Gulf Cartel splinter group that became a rival cartel.
