Mexican Authorities Dismantle Workshop Used By Sinaloa Cartel Leader 'El Güero Pulseras' To Build 'Narco Tanks'

The Mexican Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA) announced that a mechanical workshop located in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, specialized in building armored vehicles for the Sinaloa Cartel, has been dismantled.

A recent investigation by InSight Crime revealed that the use of armored vehicles, often known as "narco tanks," has grown amid the escalating clashes between cartels themselves and against Mexican law enforcement. In fact, the report found that SEDENA seized 277 vehicles mounted with homemade armor between January 2018 and June 2024.

Authorities hope that the dismantling of the workshop can be a considerable loss for the Sinaloa Cartel, as information obtained by Infobae Mexico links the property to Jesús Esteban Machado Meza, alias "El Güero Pulseras," an alleged regional leader for the criminal organization in Chiapas.

During a morning press conference on November 12, Omar García Harfuch, Mexico's Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, mentioned that "El Güero Pulseras" had been arrested during the operation, which took place earlier this week.

However, media outlets have reported that García Harfuch's comments could be false, as there are no documents that can confirm if Machado Meza was at the Tuxtla Gutiérrez location when armed forces dismantled the business.

Regardless, authorities were able to seize 54 firearms, 187 packets of marijuana equivalent to more than 2,000 pounds, three motorcycles, nine civilian vehicles and three armored vehicles, among other items such as ammunition.

According to investigative journalist Anabel Hernández, "El Güero Pulseras" has multiple safe houses around the state of Chiapas, including in some of its biggest cities.

Cartel dispute in Chiapas

Up until July of 2021, the state of Chiapas continued to be under the control of the Sinaloa Cartel but when Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) hitmen murdered regional leader Ramón Gilberto Rivera Estrada, alias "El Junior," the situation became extremely volatile.

Without "El Junior," Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada decided to place "El Güero Pulseras" in his place as leader of the cartel in Chiapas, an action that created an internal conflict within the cartel, as Juan Manuel Valdovinos Mendoza, also known as "El Señor de los Caballos" looked poised to replace Rivera Estrada as leader.

In response, Valdovinos Mendoza switched allegiances to Los Zetas and later on to the CJNG. With the help of criminal groups in Guatemala, the Jalisco Cartel was able to gain influence in the area and, ever since, have maintained violent clashes with the Sinaloa Cartel for control of the area.