'Heir' to Gulf Cartel arrested in Port Isabel

The nephew of imprisoned Gulf Cartel kingpin Osiel Cardenas Guillen was arrested by U.S. authorities in Port Isabel during a traffic stop.

Rafael “El Junior” Cardenas Vela was arrested Thursday night by Port Isabel police and was later charged by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents with immigration charges as well as possession and conspiracy to possess narcotics with intent to distribute, court records show.

As of Tuesday night, Rafael Cardenas remained in federal custody.

Cardenas was pulled over while he drove in a personal vehicle with an attractive woman, a local law enforcement official confirmed.

Rather than get an infraction, the Matamoros plaza boss was arrested in what appears to be a larger operation that had been targeting him. Cardenas, also known as “El 900s,” is also the nephew of the late Antonio Ezekiel “Tony Tormenta” Cardenas Guillen.

At the time of his arrest, the younger Cardenas tried to pass off a passport identifying him as Pedro Garcia Gonzalez, court records showed. Once in custody, Cardenas was interviewed by ICE agents, and he admitted to having been involved in the transportation and importation of marijuana and cocaine into the U.S. for several years.

One of the drug loads he admitted to was larger than 5 tons of marijuana.

After the death of his uncle, Cardenas continued to climb the ranks but was kept in line by some of the older lieutenants, who tried to help him lose his short fuse and rash behavior, said a source outside law enforcement familiar with organized crime in Mexico. The lieutenants were grooming Cardenas to be the “heir” of the cartel.

Cardenas was one of the main lieutenants who incorporated the usage of road blockades to keep authorities at bay during shootouts.

The source said Cardenas had been staying in the U.S. on and off.

Cardenas had been known to hide at a house in Brownsville near the airport, where a short shootout took place July 8. The shootout was reportedly carried out by a team of Zetas who clashed with Cardenas’ guards, seeking to capture or kill Cardenas. The shootout reportedly lasted 15 minutes with no casualties.