Mexican Officials Retract Claim That Gulf Cartel Leader Was Arrested

One day after Mexican authorities leaked to various news outlets about the arrest of one of the Gulf Cartel’s regional leaders, they now claim the incarcerated man was misidentified. 

The backtracking comes after Mexican authorities leaked to various news outlets that they Luis Alberto “Pelochas” Blanco Flores, one of the crime bosses fighting for control of Reynosa, Tamaulipas.

In a joint public statement shared on social media, representatives from the Queretaro State Attorney General’s Office and counterparts in Tamaulipas revealed that the man arrested is not one of the “priority targets.” 

@fiscaliaqro y PGJ de Tamaulipas informan: pic.twitter.com/N9MZNx9Oyg

— Fiscalía Querétaro (@fiscaliaqro) March 22, 2018

In the short video, Queretaro’s Deputy Attorney General Humberto Perez Gonzalez claimed that due to an “irresponsible communication that was not based on scientific support,” new outlets were erroneously informed that one of the most wanted men in Tamaulipas was successfully captured. After authorities in Tamaulipas raised doubts about the incarcerated individual, investigators traveled to Queretaro for a series of tests to determine the man’s identity, Perez Gonzalez said. After processing the fingerprints, authorities were able to rule out the arrest of Blanco Flores.

Blanco Flores and his henchmen are largely responsible for the raging violence in the region, Breitbart Texas reported. The fighting has led to more than 400 murders including rival gunmen, law enforcement, and innocent bystanders.  The Gulf Cartel has also been responsible for several clandestine incineration sites and mass graves. 

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and Stephen K. Bannon.  You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.

Brandon Darby is managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and Stephen K. Bannon. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.

“A.C. De Angel” from the Cartel Chronicles project contributed to this report.