A special forces squad from Mexico’s Navy (SEMAR) arrested one of the Gulf Cartel’s top enforcers in the border city of Reynosa. The arrest comes as the Gulf Cartel has been going through a fierce turf war between rival factions, bringing almost daily shootouts to various border cities.
On Thursday morning, a squad of special forces operators from Mexico’s Navy, known commonly as Marinos, set up a series of perimeters in the Las Fuentes and Olmitos neighborhoods while they carried out several raids. The target of the raids was Roque “Rocky, Metro 58 or Comandante Roque” Cruz Fuentes, the current leader of the security forces for the Metros faction of the Gulf Cartel.
During the operation, three helicopters with snipers circled the area, providing air cover. At the same time, authorities carried out a second raid to throw off gunmen trying to respond to rescue their leader. At the time of the operation, authorities also rescued a woman that El Roque had kidnapped and had with him at his stash house.
Military forces managed to arrest El Roque and eight of his gunmen and immediately moved them to Matamoros, where they processed him at the local Mexico Attorney General’s Office. After being processed, military forces Moved El Roque and his gunmen to Mexico City, where he is expected to go before a federal judge.
Law enforcement sources revealed to Breitbart Texas that in his role as one of the top leaders of Los Metros, El Roque was responsible for numerous shootouts, as well as having ordered several kidnappings and murders in connection with an ongoing turf war with the Matamoros faction of the Gulf Cartel known as Los Escorpiones.
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.
“J.C. Sanchez” and “Francisco Morales” from Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project contributed to this report.