After state authorities found them, the gunman slapped and tried to punch the Gulf Cartel leader, who they blamed for nearly being arrested. Police found them and several other men drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana at a hideout not far from the Texas border.
The feared drug cartel leader is allegedly behind dozens of kidnappings for ransom in the border city of Reynosa, as well as Matamoros, Rio Bravo and other cities in the Mexican border state of Tamaulipas.
The incident occurred over the weekend in Reynosa, where authorities arrested Juan Miguel “Miguelito or Metro 56” Lizardi Castro, a suspected Gulf Cartel leader linked to dozens of kidnappings for ransom as well as several shootouts and mass murders.
The incident began when a group of investigators from the Tamaulipas State Attorney's Office was conducting an investigation in the Doctores neighborhood to track down an armed group that had been committing kidnappings and carjackings in the area.
According to an incident report obtained exclusively by Breitbart Texas, officers were patrolling a neighborhood when they began receiving gunfire from a group of men inside a home. The officers in the lead vehicle took the brunt of the fire while officers in other vehicles surrounded the house and ambushed the shooters, who tried to flee but were unable to do so.
Officers found several containers of beer and alcohol in the home and reported that all of the men smelled of alcohol and appeared to be intoxicated. When officers searched the six shooters, they found that all were in possession of small bags of marijuana or cocaine.
While officers were searching for the men, their leader, Juan Miguel “Miguelito or Metro 56” Lizardi Castro, 33, offered the officers a bribe of 1 million pesos (about $51,000) in exchange for his release. He asked to retrieve his laptop from inside his house and said he would transfer the money immediately.
The lead agent told them that bribery was a crime and that they could face further charges if they didn't keep quiet. He told them they should be arrested and get a lawyer. Just then, Ernesto “El Blakey” Robles Garcia, 34, turned toward Lizardi, slapped him in the face, then lunged at him. He punched the cartel boss several times, and both fell to the floor.
According to the report, as officers tried to separate the two, a scuffle ensued, with Blakey yelling at Lizardi that it was all his fault. During the scuffle, the other four gunmen attempted to flee, but police caught up with them and handcuffed them all. One of the gunmen in the group was identified as Joseph Alberto Tello, a 17-year-old from Weslaco, Texas. Tello was a documented school dropout who operated with Lizardi in the Rio Bravo area and claimed to have assisted him in several kidnappings.
Authorities took all six cartel members into custody and have them appear in a Tamaulipas state court to be formally charged.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist at Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas' Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. Twitter and FacebookContact details: email address.
Brandon Darby is Managing Director and Editor in Chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas' Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart executives. Twitter and FacebookContact details: email address.
