Servando Gómez Martínez, alias ‘La Tuta’

Servando Gómez Martínez, alias “La Tuta,” was a former high-ranking member of the Familia Michoacana, who split from the group following the supposed death of top commander Nazario Moreno Gonzalez, alias “El Chayo,” in December 2010. The drug lord was captured by an elite police force in February 2015 and transferred to the United States in August 2025.

What is La Tuta’s Story?

Gómez Martínez was originally a schoolteacher from Arteaga, Michoacán, which inspired his other alias, “El Profe,” or the professor. In December 2010, he was still on federal payroll for his teaching job.

In the public arena, Gómez Martínez was a fervent promoter of the Familia Michoacana’s vigilante ideology, and claimed the group’s ultimate purpose was to protect Michoacán from rivals, namely the Zetas, a rival criminal gang that trained the original members of the Familia Michoacana before the group became independent.

During a 2009 phone interview with a local TV program, “Voz y Solucion,” Gómez Martínez praised President Felipe Calderón and the army, then claimed the Familia Michoacana’s only grievances were with the Zetas and the federal police for “attacking our families.” Members of the Familia Michoacana followed a strict behavioral code and those who disobeyed were “made to pay,” he added, unlike the Zetas, about whom he said: “Most of them are drug addicts.”

After his split from the Familia Michoacana — whose remnants were led by José de Jesús Méndez, alias “El Chango” — Gómez Martínez headed the Caballeros Templarios (Knights Templar), a drug trafficking organization with the same quasi-religious sensibility and faux-moral codes as the Familia Michoacana. The Knights Templar announced their appearance in March 2011, and for a while seemed ascendent over the Familia Michoacana, with Méndez in jail and many analysts considering the old group to be effectively out of action. However, the government soon came down hard on the Knights Templar. The organization also faced pressure from the multiple citizen militia groups that formed in Michoacan throughout 2013 and 2014.

Gómez’s Martínez nephew, girlfriend, mother, and brother were all arrested between July and August 2009. That same year, a New York grand jury indicted Gómez Martínez for drug trafficking. While Gómez Martínez continued to release statements to the public via social media, including one vow that he would never surrender, he was arrested in Morelia, Michoacán in February 2015.

In many respects, Gómez Martínez’s capture spelled the end for the Knights Templar as a powerful criminal organization in Mexico. He remain jailed there until he was transferred into US custody in August 2025. Early the following year, he pleaded not guilty to drug-related charges.

What Crimes Was La Tuta Involved in?

Gómez Martínez was charged by Mexican authorities with methamphetamine and marijuana trafficking, as well as possession of military weaponry and ammunition. Gómez Martínez’s Knights Templar are also heavily involved in extortion operations in Michoacán. In the United States, he faces charges related to trafficking cocaine and methamphetamine.

Where Did La Tuta Operate?

Prior to his capture, Gómez Martínez was based in the states of Michoacán and Guerrero, from where he coordinated drug shipments through Baja California.

Who Were La Tuta’s Allies and Enemies?

Gómez Martínez professed to standing up against other Mexican drug trafficking groups, such as the Zetas, for the harm they caused the general population. With the backing of government security forces, self-defense groups have driven the Knights Templar out of several cities in Michoacán. It is believed a significant number of Knights Templar operatives have moved on to other criminal groups, including the self-defense forces.

Today, the Jalisco Cartel New Generation (Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación – CJNG) is battling remnants of the Knights Templar in Michoacán.

What is La Tuta’s Outlook?

Gómez Martínez is currently jailed in the United States on drug trafficking charges. In early 2026, he pleaded not guilty to those accusations.