Gulf cartel plaza boss receives 20 year prison sentence

BROWNSVILLE, Texas — The head of the Gulf Cartel was sentenced Monday to serve 20 years in federal prison following his conviction related to his participation in a long-term drug conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas. The investigation was led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with the assistance of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).

Rafael Cardenas-Vela, aka Junior, aka Commandante 900, aka Rolex, was sentenced Nov. 17 by U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen to 240 months in prison and ordered to pay a $100,000 in fines. A final order of forfeiture has also been entered for a $5 million money judgment and his interest in a real property on Bluewing Circle in Brownsville, which was purchased with drug proceeds.

Cardenas-Vela, 41, is the nephew of Osiel Cardenas-Guillen, who was convicted of federal drug charges in 2010, and Ezequiel "Tony Tormenta" Cardenas-Guillen. Cardenas-Vela pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and more than 1,000 kilograms marijuana. Cardenas-Vela admitted to being a part of this conspiracy from at least January 2000 until his capture by HSI Oct. 20, 2011.

According to court documents, the court heard how Cardenas-Vela had testified for three days in the drug trial of Juan Roberto Rincon-Rincon, a former high ranking Plaza Boss for the Gulf Cartel of Rio Bravo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. In that trial, he described the command and control structure of the Gulf Cartel between 2002 and his arrest in 2011, as well as the creation of the Zetas drug trafficking organization and its split from the Gulf Cartel.

During his plea, Cardenas-Vela admitted he occupied a position as a principal leader of a criminal enterprise, known as the Gulf Cartel, headquartered in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, which imports, warehouses, transports and distributes ton quantities of cocaine and marijuana from Mexico into the United States.

Cardenas-Vela and others helped manage and maintain cocaine and marijuana transportation and distribution cells established in the United States that acted as smaller operational units within the larger organization. Cells were located in various cities including, but not limited to, Houston, Brownsville and McAllen as well as in northern cities throughout the United States. The Gulf Cartel, as led in part by Cardenas-Vela, also collected and transported millions of dollars in U.S. currency, which represented the proceeds from the distribution and sale of cocaine and marijuana in the United States. Once the drug proceeds were collected at various points within the United States, the money would be transported to Mexico to further the aims of this criminal enterprise.

Cardenas-Vela occupied a position as a Plaza Boss for the Gulf Cartel over the last several years in various places in Mexico including San Fernando, Rio Bravo and Matamoros, Tamaulipas. A Plaza Boss is the lead representative for the Gulf Cartel in a particular region or town and is in charge of maintaining control of the region to ensure the safe passage of the Cartel’s narcotics. The Plaza Boss also extracts a "piso" (payment) by others who want to transport narcotics or operate businesses in that region. To accomplish this, the Plaza Boss is responsible for making recurring bribe payments to Mexican law enforcement and local officials, as well as recruiting, outfitting and maintaining command and control of the Cartel’s employees in that region.

According to the factual basis in support of his plea, Cardenas-Vela was the Plaza Boss for the San Fernando, Tamaulipas region for several years leading up his transfer to Rio Bravo, Tamaulipas in June 2010. San Fernando is an important thoroughfare in Northern Mexico; narcotics commonly pass through San Fernando on their way to Cartel collection points along the Rio Grande River. In June 2010, Cardenas-Vela assumed Plaza Boss leadership of Rio Bravo, an area along the Rio Grande River east of Reynosa, Mexico. Rio Bravo’s location on the U.S.-Mexico border has made it a common collection point for a good share of the Gulf Cartel’s narcotics prior to passage into the United States. Cardenas Vela maintained command and control of the Rio Bravo Plaza until March 2011.

The internal struggle for power that began after the death of his uncle, Ezequiel Cardenas-Guillen, in November 2010 continued within the Gulf Cartel. Cardenas-Vela and elements allied with him began to fight with elements associated with Jorge Eduardo Costilla-Sanchez, aka El Cos. It was during this struggle that Cardenas-Vela ousted Jose Luis Zuniga, aka Wicho, from leadership of Matamoros and assumed control. During this feud, the Zetas unsuccessfully attempted to gain control. Cardenas-Vela ultimately fled to the United States in May 2011 to escape the power struggles in Northern Mexico and was able to maintain control of the Matamoros Plaza through the use of daily emails to key leadership within the Cartel.

Upon his Oct. 20, 2011, arrest in Port Isabel, cell phones and ledgers were seized from Cardenas-Vela and from searches of residences associated with Cardenas-Vela which establish evidence as to his narcotics trafficking. A phone toll analysis demonstrated connectivity with several active and ongoing drug investigations and a ledger was also analyzed that indicated the personnel structure of the armed and unarmed individuals under Cardenas’ control, as well as the purchase of weapons, protective equipment, vehicles and gasoline for these vehicles. In an effort to conceal their illegal activities, this organization utilized the vehicles that had hidden compartments to conceal the cocaine, marijuana and currency which was being transported.

The Cardenas elements of the Gulf Cartel would purchase about 70-80 kilograms of cocaine a month in southern Mexico. Small vehicles were utilized to transport smaller amounts, between 16-20 kilograms at a time, so as to reduce the risk of large seizures on the way to the Texas/Mexico border.

The members of the criminal enterprise encoded their written and oral drug-related and conspiratorial communications to further shield themselves from law enforcement detection. They used aliases and call signs during their communications to protect their identities from law enforcement agencies. In order to further the aims and goals of this criminal enterprise, the aid of law enforcement authorities was solicited to provide information and protection for the organization's criminal activities in exchange for the payment of money and/or gifts. Specifically, Rafael Cardenas-Vela directed payments to various individuals related to law enforcement in Mexico. The Cartel also incurs costs to properly equip its members, including the purchase of bullet proof vests, grenades, tactical vests, bullet proof vehicles, weapons, ammunition, cell phones, radios, and salaries.

"Guardias" maintain surveillance on the Mexican Military for the Gulf Cartel and elements of the Gulf Cartel would also maintain video and audio surveillance at key areas throughout Matamoros to maintain surveillance and intelligence of law enforcement and rival gang’s activities. At the time of Cardenas’ arrest, it was discovered he had about 500 men equipped and ready to respond to his call.

Cardenas-Vela stipulated that during his leadership, he contributed more than 150 kilograms of cocaine and 1,000 kilograms of marijuana, and obtained at least $5 million in drug proceeds as a result of this conspiracy.

Cardenas-Vela has been in custody since his arrest; he will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jody Young and Angel Castro, Southern District of Texas, prosecuted this case.