A long-time Gulf Cartel figure with a large following throughout the Mexican border state of Tamaulipas has resurfaced and sided with one of the two factions engaged in a fierce turf war. The secretive figure called out the influence of Cartel Jalisco New Generation in the region and called for a unified front against them.
Known in the criminal underworld as El Negrito or Gamma 3, Eduardo Flores Borrego had his men hang several banners throughout the border city of Reynosa this week. Shortly after 3 a.m. on Wednesday, rival gunmen from the Gulf Cartel clashed with each other in Reynosa. The fighting went on for over two hours until police forces responded as the confrontations came to an end. As the gunmen fled from the city, they carjacked several buses used by manufacturing plants to move their workers and parked them across main avenues to slow down authorities.
The fighting continued while gunmen hung multiple banners in which Flores Borrego called out the leader of the Reynosa faction of the Gulf Cartel, Cesar “El Primito” Morfin, for giving control of the region to Cartel Jalisco New Generation. In the banner, Flores Borrego calls for those who follow the teachings of the late cartel boss Metro 3 to side with him.
Flores Borrego is the brother of Samuel “Metro 3” Flores Borrego, the late leader of Los Metros (the Reynosa faction). After his murder in 2011, he remains highly liked in the region and is seen as a Robin Hood figure.
The banners the gunmen left in Reynosa were signed by El Negrito and Escorpion 19, the leader of the Matamoros faction.
In 2010, authorities arrested Flores Borrego in connection with the murder of various Zeta gunmen during a series of clashes. However, since that time, he has regained his freedom and managed to operate with the Gulf Cartel while keeping a low profile — until his most recent resurfacing.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.