Mario Alberto Peña

Last updated

Mario Alberto Peña
Mario Popo Pena.png
Born(1980-10-22)22 October 1980
Rio Grande City, Texas, United States
Died13 March 2013(2013-03-13) (aged 32)
Cause of deathGunshot wounds
Other names
  • Popo
  • Comandante Popo
Employer Gulf Cartel (suspected)
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)

Mario Alberto "Popo" Peña (22 October 1980 – 19 March 2013) was a U.S.-born Mexican suspected criminal and high-ranking member of the Gulf Cartel, a criminal group based in Tamaulipas, Mexico. He started his criminal career in a local Texan gang before joining the Gulf Cartel, where he worked as a regional leader in an area known as La Ribereña, across the border from Starr County, Texas. Though born in the U.S., Peña worked in Mexico and maintained close ties with Texas. Known for his charisma and heavily tattooed body, Peña was viewed as a gangster folk hero on both sides of the Mexico–United States border. In 2013, he was betrayed and killed by an alleged member of the Gulf Cartel. Several people paid tribute to him online by creating a Facebook page and uploading photos and rap music videos in his memory.

Contents

Early life and career

Mario Alberto Peña, known as "Popo" or "Comandante Popo" (English: "Commander Popo"), was born in Rio Grande City, Texas, United States, on 22 October 1980. [1] [2] He grew up in Roma, Texas, and started his criminal career for a local Texan street gang. He eventually joined the Gulf Cartel, a criminal group based in Tamaulipas, Mexico. In the Gulf Cartel, Peña was a regional leader in an area in Tamaulipas known as La Ribereña, which sits across Starr County, Texas. [3] Though born in the U.S., Peña operated primarily in Mexico and maintained ties with the Rio Grande Valley. [4] [5]

On 16 August 2011, Peña and an accomplice, Daniel Bazán, committed a drive-by shooting at a residence in Alto Bonito Heights, Texas. According to eye-witnesses, both men arrived at a property in a vehicle and shot at the place using AR-15 assault rifles and other pistols. The Starr County Sheriff's Office issued a bulletin asking the public to reach out with any information about Peña's whereabouts. The wanted flyer said Peña was approximately 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) and weighed 210 lb (95 kg). He was described as having brown eyes and hair, a beard and mustache, and tattoos in multiple parts of his body. Deputy Erasmo Rios said they believed Peña was hiding in the Starr County area, but recommended civilians not try to apprehend either him or his accomplice because they were considered armed and dangerous. The warrant against both men was for attempted capital murder. [6] Peña fled to Mexico shortly after he was charged. [1]

Death and legacy

Peña was killed in Comales, a rural community near Camargo, Tamaulipas, [7] on 19 March 2013. [1] According to security forces, Peña was killed as part of an internal strife incident within the Gulf Cartel that dated back to September 2011, when suspected Gulf Cartel leader Samuel Flores Borrego (alias "Metro 3") was killed by members of his own criminal group. Peña was confirmed dead by U.S. federal authorities, when his body was taken to the international crossing by his family members. Mexican authorities also confirmed his death. [7] According to Peña's sister, the family was able to recover the body with the help of another Gulf Cartel regional leader, Juan Francisco Sáenz Támez, alias "Comandante Panochitas" (English: "Commander Pussy"). [lower-alpha 1] [9] Peña was buried in a private ceremony in Texas. His family told the McAllen-based newspaper The Monitor in an interview that Peña died "with honor". [3] When Peña was alive, he was regarded as a charismatic gangster and folk hero on both sides of the Mexico–United States border. [3] [5]

Since his death, several have paid tribute to him online by creating a Facebook page and uploading photos and multiple rap music videos about him. [2] [9] This furthered Peña's image as some sort of gangster folk hero. Two of the music videos online tell the story of how Peña was killed, and claim that he was betrayed by a former ally. Peña's sister claims that his murderer was suspected Gulf Cartel regional leader known as Eduardo Luna, who shot Peña from behind because he was guarding US$2 million in cash for the Gulf Cartel. [9]

She claimed that after he killed Peña, Luna fled to the U.S., where he was later arrested for another murder and corruption case involving the United States Border Patrol. [9] Peña's sister also claims that she had met Luna in Mexico, and that he killed several others before her brother. She said his alias in the Gulf Cartel was "Comandante Pájaro" (English: "Commander Bird"). [10] Her claims were not independently verified by law enforcement, and she later declined an interview with The Texas Tribune . Luna's defense did not comment on Peña's case. [9]

See also

Sources

Footnotes

  1. Sáenz Támez was arrested in Edinburg, Texas, in 2014 and sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2015 for money laundering and drug trafficking offenses. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tomás Yarrington</span> Mexican politician

Tomás Jesús Yarrington Ruvalcaba is a Mexican politician affiliated with the Institutional Revolutionary Party. He held office as the Mayor of Matamoros from 1993 to 1995, and the Governor of Tamaulipas from 1999 to 2005. Yarrington sought nomination for the presidential elections for the PRI in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Zetas</span> Mexican criminal syndicate

Los Zetas is a Mexican criminal syndicate, known as one of the most dangerous of Mexico's drug cartels. They are known for engaging in brutally violent "shock and awe" tactics such as beheadings, torture, and indiscriminate murder. While primarily concerned with drug trafficking, the organization also runs profitable sex and gun rackets. Los Zetas also operate through protection rackets, assassinations, extortion, kidnappings and other illegal activities. The organization is based in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, directly across the border from Laredo, Texas. The origins of Los Zetas date back to the late 1990s, when commandos of the Mexican Army deserted their ranks and began working as the enforcement arm of the Gulf Cartel. In February 2010, Los Zetas broke away and formed their own criminal organization, rivalling the Gulf Cartel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulf Cartel</span> Criminal group based in Tamaulipas

The Gulf Cartel is a criminal syndicate and drug trafficking organization in Mexico, and perhaps one of the oldest organized crime groups in the country. It is currently based in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, directly across the U.S. border from Brownsville, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jorge Eduardo Costilla Sánchez</span> Mexican drug lord

Jorge Eduardo Costilla Sánchez is a former Mexican drug lord and top leader of the criminal drug trafficking organization known as the Gulf Cartel. He was among Mexico's most-wanted drug lords, until his arrest in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miguel Treviño Morales</span> Mexican drug lord

Miguel Ángel Treviño Morales, commonly referred to by his alias Z-40, is a Mexican former drug lord and leader of the criminal organization known as Los Zetas. Considered a violent, resentful and dangerous criminal, he was one of Mexico's most-wanted drug lords until his arrest in July 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antonio Cárdenas Guillén</span> Mexican drug lord

Antonio Ezequiel Cárdenas Guillén, commonly referred to by his alias Tony Tormenta, was a Mexican drug lord and co-leader of the Gulf Cartel, a drug trafficking organization based in Tamaulipas. He headed the criminal group along with Jorge Eduardo Costilla Sánchez. Antonio was considered by Mexican security forces as one of Mexico's most-wanted men.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mario Cárdenas Guillén</span>

Mario Alberto Cárdenas Guillén is a former leader of the Mexican criminal group called the Gulf Cartel. He is the brother of Osiel Cárdenas Guillén and Antonio Cárdenas Guillén.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samuel Flores Borrego</span> Mexican drug trafficker (1972–2011)

Samuel Flores Borrego was a Mexican drug lord and high-ranking lieutenant of the Gulf Cartel. He was a former state judicial policeman who protected the ex-leader of the Gulf cartel, Osiel Cárdenas Guillén. Upon his arrest, Flores Borrego became the right-hand man of Jorge Eduardo Costilla Sánchez, the former leader of the criminal organization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mario Ramírez Treviño</span> Mexican drug trafficker (born 1962)

Mario Armando Ramírez Treviño, commonly referred to by his aliases El Pelón and/or X-20, is a Mexican suspected drug lord and former leader of the Gulf Cartel, a drug trafficking organization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Infighting in the Gulf Cartel</span> Series of confrontations

The infighting in the Gulf Cartel refers to a series of confrontations between the Metros and the Rojos, two factions within Gulf Cartel that engaged in a power struggle directly after the death of the drug lord Samuel Flores Borrego in September 2011. The infighting has lasted through 2013, although the Metros have gained the advantage and regained control of the major cities controlled by the cartel when it was essentially one organization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Metros</span> Faction of a Mexican drug trafficking organization known as the Gulf Cartel

Los Metros is a faction of a Mexican drug trafficking organization known as the Gulf Cartel. The group was formed in the late 1980s during the reign of Osiel Cárdenas Guillén, the former leader of the cartel, to provide security to the organization's leaders as the cartel's armed wing. The leader of Los Metros, Mario Ramirez Treviño, alias X-20, was arrested on 17 August 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Héctor David Delgado Santiago</span>

Héctor David Delgado Santiago, commonly referred to by his alias El Metro 4, was a suspected Mexican drug lord and high-ranking leader of the Gulf Cartel, a criminal group based in Tamaulipas. Born and raised in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, El Metro 4 initiated his criminal career by working with Los Metros, an enforcer gang of the Gulf Cartel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miguel "El Gringo" Villarreal</span> American drug trafficker

Miguel Villarreal was a U.S.-born Mexican suspected drug lord and high-ranking leader of the Gulf Cartel, a criminal group based in Tamaulipas. He was the crime boss of Reynosa, Tamaulipas. Nicknamed El Gringo in reference to his U.S. nationality, Villarreal was identified by authorities as a Gulf Cartel leader in 2010, when he allegedly commanded cells that fought Los Zetas drug cartel in northeastern Mexico. By 2011, he served as the regional kingpin in Miguel Alemán, Tamaulipas and ordered several kidnappings and killings in the South Texas border area from Mexico.

Homero Enrique Cárdenas Guillén, also known by his aliases El Majadero and El Orejón, was a Mexican suspected drug lord and alleged leader of the Gulf Cartel, a drug trafficking organization. He is the brother of the former Gulf Cartel leaders Antonio, Mario, and Osiel Cárdenas Guillen. During the late 1990s, Homero worked for the Gulf Cartel under the tutelage of his brothers. However, after several years of government crackdowns, the Gulf Cartel suffered severe drawbacks, including the death and arrests of Homero's brothers and allies. In August 2013, Homero became the de facto leader of the Gulf Cartel following the arrest of Mario Ramírez Treviño. However, he reportedly died of a heart attack on 28 March 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galindo Mellado Cruz</span> Mexican ex-commando and drug lord (1973–2014)

Galdino or Galindo Mellado Cruz, commonly referred to by his alias El Mellado and/or Z-9, was a Mexican suspected drug lord and one of the founders of Los Zetas, a criminal organization originally formed by ex-commandos from the Mexican Armed Forces. He joined the Mexican Army in 1992 and was part of the Grupo Aeromóvil de Fuerzas Especiales (GAFE), an elite special forces unit of the Army. In 1999, he withdrew from the military and was recruited by the Gulf Cartel, a drug trafficking organization, shortly thereafter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joselyn Alejandra Niño</span> Mexican suspected Gulf Cartel assassin

Joselyn Alejandra Niño, commonly referred to by her alias La Flaca, was a Mexican suspected assassin of the Gulf Cartel, a criminal group based in Tamaulipas, Mexico. She gained popularity on social media on 5 January 2015, when an anonymous person uploaded a picture of her posing with a firearm in an organized crime leak page. The post identified her as a Gulf Cartel member based out of Río Bravo. As a foot soldier, she was responsible for fighting off cells of Los Metros, a rival faction of Los Ciclones, a Gulf Cartel subgroup she belonged to.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zeferino Peña Cuéllar</span> Mexican drug lord

Zeferino Peña Cuéllar, also known as Don Zefe, is a Mexican suspected drug lord and high-ranking member of the Gulf Cartel, a criminal group based in Tamaulipas, Mexico. He was part of the cartel during the 1990s, and was a trusted enforcer of former kingpins Gilberto García Mena and Osiel Cárdenas Guillén. From 1999 to 2001, he served as the municipal police chief of Miguel Alemán. Peña Cuéllar reportedly relied on corrupt Mexican military officials to run drug trafficking activities in Tamaulipas. This group of military officers would later become the foundation for the creation of Los Zetas, the Gulf Cartel's former paramilitary group originally made up of ex-soldiers. In the cartel, he headed organized crime operations in the municipalities of Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, Camargo, Miguel Alemán, Mier, and Guerrero.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gilberto Lerma Plata</span> Mexican drug lord

Gilberto Lerma Plata is a Mexican former police chief and convicted drug lord. He began his career in 1993 as a police officer in the Tamaulipas State Police when his cousin Manuel Cavazos Lerma became Governor of Tamaulipas. Lerma Plata was eventually promoted to police commander in Reynosa and Miguel Alemán. In the late 1990s, while still working for the police, Lerma Plata joined the Gulf Cartel, a criminal group based in Tamaulipas, for whom he facilitated drug trafficking operations from Mexico to the US, coordinated cash smuggling operations, and aided in the procurement of firearms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ediel López Falcón</span> Mexican drug lord

Ediel López Falcón, also known as La Muela or Metro 5, is a Mexican convicted drug lord and former high-ranking member of the Gulf Cartel, a criminal group based in Tamaulipas, Mexico. He was the regional boss of Miguel Alemán and helped coordinate international drug trafficking shipments from South and Central America to Mexico and the U.S. His roles in the cartel were also to coordinate oil theft operations. In 2012, he was indicted by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for drug trafficking activities. After fleeing Mexico to avoid gang-related violence, López Falcón was arrested in Texas during a sting operation in 2013. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 years in prison in 2015. He is currently imprisoned at the Federal Correctional Institution, Fort Dix in New Jersey. His expected release date is in 2029.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eleno Salazar Flores</span> Mexican drug lord

Eleno Salazar Flores, also known as "Pantera 6", is a Mexican convicted drug lord and former high-ranking member of the Gulf Cartel, a criminal group based in Tamaulipas, Mexico. He was a trusted enforcer of former kingpin Mario Ramírez Treviño, who appointed him the regional boss of Camargo. He helped to coordinate cocaine and marijuana shipments heading to Reynosa and Río Bravo before they were smuggled into the U.S. for further distribution. In 2014, he was arrested by federal forces in Reynosa and imprisoned in a maximum-security facility in the State of Mexico. Salazar Flores was convicted of drug trafficking in 2017 and sentenced to 20 years. He was also ordered to pay 500 days of the minimum wage in fines, totaling MXN$33,645.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Root, Jay; Satija, Neeta (6 July 2016). "Headless body leads to arrest of Border Patrol agent". The Texas Tribune . Archived from the original on 22 July 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2018 via The Washington Post.
  2. 1 2 "Mexico: Drug wars spill onto Facebook". BBC News. 5 July 2013. Archived from the original on 22 July 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 Ortiz, Ildefonso (23 June 2013). "Some cartel bosses are born in the U.S., but work in Mexico". The Monitor . Archived from the original on 14 November 2017.
  4. Ortiz, Ildefonso (24 June 2016). "Jefes de cárteles que nacen en EU pero trabajan en México". El Nuevo Heraldo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 28 May 2024.
  5. 1 2 Deibert 2014, p. 83.
  6. "Fugitive Finder: Alto Bonito Driveby Shooting". KGBT-TV. 20 September 2011. Archived from the original on 22 July 2018 via YouTube.
  7. 1 2 Ortiz, Ildefonso; Taylor, Jared (12 April 2013). "Convicted of bribery, Starr lawman became cop despite prior felony plea". The Monitor . Archived from the original on 28 May 2024.
  8. Taylor, Jared (30 June 2015). "Ex-Gulf Cartel leader captured in Edinburg gets 30 years in prison". The Monitor . Archived from the original on 28 May 2024.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Root, Jay; Satija, Neena (5 July 2018). "A Texas beheading, a Mexican cartel and the border agent facing charges". Reveal News. Archived from the original on 13 July 2018.
  10. Root, Jay (30 August 2016). "Focus Shifts to Border Patrol Agent's Brother". The Texas Tribune . Archived from the original on 7 June 2017.

Bibliography