HomeNewsBriefZetas Member Linked to 2010 San Fernando Massacre Captured
BRIEF

Zetas Member Linked to 2010 San Fernando Massacre Captured

HUMAN SMUGGLING / 1 APR 2015 BY ARRON DAUGHERTY EN

Mexican authorities have captured an alleged member of the Zetas implicated in the 2010 massacre of 72 immigrants, which arguably marked a tipping point in Mexico's war against organized crime. 

Federal police arrested Jose Guadalupe Reyes Rivera, alias "Sasi," on March 31, at a mechanic's garage in the eastern state of Tamaulipas, local media reported. He is now reportedly being held in a federal prison there. 

Reyes is accused of participating in the killing of dozens of immigrants in San Fernando, Tamaulipas, with Mexico offering over $300,000 for information leading to his capture. 

15-04-01-mexico-massacremigrantZetas

Jose Guadalupe Reyes Rivera, alias "Sasi"

In August 2010, Zetas members kidnapped a group of immigrants on a highway in Tamaulipas. The group was taken to warehouse and slaughtered -- possibly for refusing to work for the Zetas. 

InSight Crime Analysis

Although particularly horrific, the San Fernando massacre was not an isolated incident for the Zetas. At the height of their power -- around 2010 to 2012 -- the group was synonymous with beheadings and bodies in the street. However, the killings in San Fernando put the international spotlight on the plight of immigrants journeying through Mexico, and helped turned the Zetas into Mexico's public enemy number one. And after after the Zetas were implicated in the killing of a US agent in Mexico, they became public enemy number one for international law enforcement as well. 

SEE ALSOZetas News and Profile

Following the San Fernando massacre, the Mexican government committed large numbers of troops to areas where the Zetas operated and captured or killed much of the group's top leadership. The result was an accelerated fragmentation of the Zetas into many smaller groups -- these continue to operate under the Zetas name, but at a smaller scale than at the Zetas' peak. 

In contrast to groups like the Sinaloa Cartel -- which rely more on bribery than bloodshed -- the Zetas' business model is dependent on the use of violence and intimidation. Instead of primarily relying on transnational drug trafficking as their source of funds, the Zetas charge a "piso," or tax, for any criminal activity in their territory. Those who don't comply must be dealt with brutally, as a message to others. At the time, the San Fernando massacre was the most chilling indication yet of the kind of violence this business model could unleash. 

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

EL MENCHO / 2 SEP 2021

As violence has continued to rise in Mexico year after year, criminal groups have adopted an increasingly militarized approach to…

GENDER AND CRIME / 21 SEP 2022

Accused drug trafficker Sandra Ávila Beltrán is demanding she be paid royalties for the “Queen of the South” Netflix series.

JALISCO CARTEL / 4 APR 2022

Sixteen police officers have been killed in Zacatecas in the first quarter of 2022, another grim reminder of the soaring…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Continues to be Highlighted

3 MAR 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-director Jeremy McDermott was the featured guest on the Americas Quarterly podcast, where he provided an expert overview of the changing dynamics…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela's Organized Crime Top 10 Attracts Attention

24 FEB 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published its ranking of Venezuela’s ten organized crime groups to accompany the launch of the Venezuela Organized Crime Observatory. Read…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime on El País Podcast

10 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-founder, Jeremy McDermott, was among experts featured in an El País podcast on the progress of Colombia’s nascent peace process.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Interviewed by Associated Press

3 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime’s Co-director Jeremy McDermott was interviewed by the Associated Press on developments in Haiti as the country continues its prolonged collapse. McDermott’s words were republished around the world,…

THE ORGANIZATION

Escaping Barrio 18

27 JAN 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published an investigation charting the story of Desafío, a 28-year-old Barrio 18 gang member who is desperate to escape gang life. But there’s one problem: he’s…