Journalist Héctor de Mauleón published a photograph in his column for El Universal depicting Tamaulipas Governor Américo Villarreal Anaya and Morena Senator José Narro Céspedes with Mario Guitián Rosas, alias “El Chispa,” identified as a Gulf Cartel operative in Reynosa.
In the image, taken at a Mexico City restaurant, Villarreal and Narro are seen accompanied by “El Chispa” and Gerardo Teodoro Vázquez Barrera, known as “El Gerry,” an alleged financial operator of the Northeast Cartel who disappeared that same day along with two marines assigned as bodyguards.
“Villarreal and Narro must clarify what two key figures of organized crime in Tamaulipas were doing at their table during the sinister afternoon when the two marines assigned as bodyguards disappeared,” wrote de Mauleón in his column.
Who is Mario Guitián “El Chispa”?
According to the investigation, Mario Guitián Rosas is identified as a key operator of the Los Metros faction of the Gulf Cartel in Reynosa, under the command of César Morfín Morfín, known as “El Primito,” who has been sanctioned by the United States Department of the Treasury for fuel theft and fentanyl trafficking.
According to intelligence reports cited by De Mauleón, “El Chispa” controls front companies dedicated to fuel theft, kidnappings, and extortion in Tamaulipas, in addition to maintaining ties to local politicians and businessmen.
In 2022, another photograph circulated in which the Morena member appeared alongside “El Gerry,” an operator of the Northeast Cartel.
Journalist Héctor de Mauleón even reported in another column that, according to a cable from the United States Embassy, ”El Gerry” had transferred approximately $7 million to Humberto Villarreal, son of the current governor, through an account in the British Virgin Islands.
Villarreal has denied the allegations. At the time, he claimed that the photo with “El Gerry” was “casual” and that he did not know the person. “That statement is totally biased and false,” he responded.
Journalist Óscar Balderas revealed that relatives of Senator Olga Patricia Sosa Ruiz made financial transactions totaling more than 30 million pesos at Vector Casa de Bolsa, a suspected money laundering operation that, according to the investigation, was used to support the 2022 election in Tamaulipas.
Added to this are the accusations from former PAN governor Francisco García Cabeza de Vaca, who accused him of having received support from businessman Sergio Carmona, known as “The King of Huachicol.”
Attorney Miguel Alfonso Meza, president of the civil association Defensorxs, announced this month that Américo Villarreal was included in the public registry “Narcopoliticians,” compiled with journalists Óscar Balderas and Luis Chaparro.
“Today we include Américo Villarreal, governor of Tamaulipas (Morena), in the @narcopoliticos_ list. He is one of the politicians with the most ties to organized crime,” Meza stated on his X account.
The published file alleges alleged financial support from Sergio Carmona, transfers from the Northeast Cartel, and territorial support from the Pedro J. Méndez armed group, identified by SEDENA as part of the Gulf Cartel.
The Narcopolíticos website documents that the Tamaulipas governor allegedly received 126 million pesos for his campaign from Sergio Carmona and that he had support from various criminal groups.
Although Villarreal has denied all the accusations, his name appears frequently in journalistic investigations and US intelligence cables.
The column published by Héctor de Mauleón once again places the governor’s alleged ties to figures linked to organized crime at the center of the debate and increases pressure on Morena and its figures to explain their close ties to drug trafficking operators.
Source: politico
