The Mexican army arrested Mario Armando Ramírez Treviño, leader of the Gulf cartel, Saturday morning. This cartel is one of the oldest in Mexico and based in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, which is directly across from Brownesville, TX.
In 2008, a federal court indicted Treviño on drug distribution charges and offered a $5 million reward. However, Mexico did not offer any reward for his capture. He allegedly coordinated drug runs from Mexico to the United States.
Treviño used to be close with Jaime González Durán, who founded and led the Los Zetas cartel, until his capture in 2008. The Gulf and Zetas were working together, but disbanded by 2010. They fought each other and Treviño stayed with the Gulf cartel.
The Zetas split from the Gulf caused a lot of friction within the Gulf cartel, which lessened their power as other cartels formed. They had to form an alliance with the Sinaloa Cartel to push away factions within the Gulf Cartel and the Zetas. He fought with Miguel “El Gringo” Villarreal for control in Reynosa and because Villarreal worked with Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano, ex-leader of the Zetas. Many outlets reported this infighting caused 60 deaths in March 2013 alone. Ramírez Treviño became leader in 2013.
In 2012, it was revealed the Aryan Brotherhood may have teamed with the Gulf Cartel to bring methamphetamine over the border. The Gulf Cartel allegedly worked with them to amp up the power they were losing to the Zetas. They are likely not the only ones. Mexican drug cartels routinely infiltrate U.S. prisons to recruit gang members for their operations.
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