Two leaders of the Los Zetas cartel and nine militants were sentenced to 50 years in prison for the massacre of more than 120 victims in the border state of Tamaulipas, who were dragged from passenger buses, killed and buried in shallow mass graves near the town of San Fernando.
This week, a Mexican federal court sentenced Salvador Alfonso “Comandante Ardila” Martinez Escobedo to 50 years in prison for the murder of 122 victims in San Fernando in 2011, according to a prepared statement from the Mexican prosecutor’s office. Martinez Escobedo was the regional boss of Los Zetas, responsible for parts of Tamaulipas, Coahuila and Nuevo Leon states. Martin Omar “Comandante Quilo” Estrada Luna, who was the regional boss of San Fernando at the time, and nine other members of Los Zetas under his command also received the same sentence for their roles in the murders.
#FGRin the Federal Fiscal Follow50 prisoners against 11 personas, murder records. Son is responsible for the murder of 122 people, the car bus murders through Japan, and subsequent criminal acts… pic.twitter.com/haF6ZRO8mm
— FGR Mexico (@FGRMexico) August 21, 2024
Mexican federal prosecutors said that between April and May 2011, Los Zetas intercepted buses traveling near San Fernando, kidnapped and killed 122 victims, and disposed of their bodies in a series of clandestine graves.
As Breitbart Texas reported, between 2010 and 2011, Los Zetas waged a reign of terror in the border state of Tamaulipas. This highly violent crime gang carried out two massacres in San Fernando, while also fighting a fierce turf war with the Gulf Cartel and its former bosses. One massacre took place in August 2010, when Los Zetas gunmen rounded up 72 migrants heading to the border, took them to a ranch near San Fernando, killed them, and stacked their bodies in a warehouse. A 73rd migrant managed to survive by playing dead, missing an opportunity to escape. The migrant contacted authorities, who searched the ranch and found the bodies.
Despite increased military and police presence, Los Zetas continued to kidnap buses and kill migrants who refused to join them or didn’t pay for the right to cross their territory, as well as suspected rivals. Authorities eventually found more than 194 bodies in 47 mass graves in San Fernando, including 122 victims from recent convictions. San Fernando has been densely populated by cartels ever since, and is now dominated by a group calling itself the Old School Zetas (Zetas Vieja Escuela).
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.
