U.S. Consulate in Mexico Issues Warning as Troops Arrest Cartel Boss in Border City

A large-scale raid by Mexican authorities prompted U.S. consular officials to issue a shelter-in-place notice warning the public of possible blockades and shootouts in the border city of Nuevo Laredo. The capture was touted by Mexican authorities as a heavy blow to the Cartel Del Noreste faction of Los Zetas which has a long history of operating with complete impunity and with the protection of corrupt government officials.

On Wednesday morning, Mexican military forces raided a single-story house in the Fundadores neighborhood in Nuevo Laredo — not far from the U.S. Consulate General building. Before the raid, Mexican military forces blocked off several streets in the neighborhood to keep the cartel leader from escaping or his gunmen from interfering.

Soon after, consular officials issued an alert, warning U.S. citizens to shelter in place and to stay vigilant due to the potential for violence. In previous cases, cartel gunmen have set up blockades and had major shootouts with authorities during similar operations in Nuevo Laredo.

During the raid, authorities were able to arrest Cesar Alejandro “El Tartas” Silva Delgado. Shortly authorities moved him out and flew him to Mexico City, where he is facing various federal charges.

In response to the security alert from the U.S. Consulate, the Tamaulipas government issued a press statement confirming that a military raid had taken place but that no blockades or shootouts had occurred.

The man known as Mexican authorities list El Tartas as the regional leader for the CDN-Los Zetas. As the plaza boss or regional leader, El Tartas was in charge of all drug smuggling, human trafficking, and money laundering operations in the city. In his role, El Tartas was the ultimate leader responsible for numerous executions.

On June 13, El Tartas is believed to have ordered the murder of Jose Luis Palos Morales, a local businessman who owned several gas stations in Nuevo Laredo. The murder is linked to his refusal to buy stolen fuel from the cartel. He is also linked to the abduction of a local family to force them to sign over several properties.

El Tartas is also linked to an October 7, 2022, attack on the Mexican Army by the CDN-Los Zetas, where one officer died and seven soldiers sustained various injuries.

The man known as El Tartas inherited the plaza boss position in November 2022 following the high-profile arrest of Heriberto “El Negrolo” Rodriguez Hernandez. In that case, the CDN-Los Zetas clashed with authorities during and days after the raid.

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.