The primary families associated with the Gulf Cartel are the 

Cárdenas Guillén family and, historically, the García Ábrego family. 

The Cárdenas Guillén Family 

The Cárdenas Guillén family has played a pivotal role in the Gulf Cartel’s leadership for over two decades and still holds significant sway despite numerous arrests and internal conflicts. Key members include: 

• Osiel Cárdenas Guillén: The former “godfather” of the cartel who was arrested in 2003 and later extradited to the U.S., where he is serving a 25-year sentence. He was known for creating Los Zetas as the cartel’s armed enforcement wing, which later became an independent rival organization.
• Antonio “Tony Tormenta” Cárdenas Guillén:Osiel’s brother, who took over as co-leader after Osiel’s arrest. He was killed in a shootout with Mexican authorities in Matamoros in November 2010.
• Mario “El Gordo” Cárdenas Guillén: Another brother who assumed control of a cartel faction after Antonio’s death. His arrest in 2012 further weakened the family’s direct control.
• Rafael Cárdenas Vela: The nephew of Osiel and Antonio, who was also involved in a leadership capacity before his own arrest. 

Other Families and Factions

• García Ábrego Family: The cartel was founded by Juan Nepomuceno Guerra and later led by Juan García Ábrego, who is currently serving multiple life sentences in the U.S.. His brother, Humberto García Ábrego, was also a suspected high-ranking member.
• Morfin Family: More recent reports from the U.S. Department of the Treasury indicate members like Alvaro Noe Morfin Morfin and Remigio Morfin Morfin are involved in current Gulf Cartel factions, dealing in both narcotics and stolen crude oil.
• Internal Factions: The cartel has fractured into several internal factions, largely as a result of infighting between those loyal to the Cárdenas family (“Los Rojos”) and those loyal to former co-leader Jorge Eduardo Costilla Sánchez (“Los Metros”), along with other groups like “Los Ciclones” and “Grupo Escorpiones”. The control of these groups is often localized and dynamic. 
• 
  The leadership of the Gulf Cartel has historically been associated with a few prominent families, primarily the 
  Cárdenas Guillén and García Ábregofamilies, although the organization has fractured significantly in recent years. 
  Key families and individuals include:
  García Ábrego Family: This family controlled the cartel for decades, building it into a major criminal enterprise.Juan Nepomuceno Guerra: Founded the original organization in the 1930s.
  Juan García Ábrego: Nephew of Guerra, he took control and expanded the cartel significantly in the 1980s and 1990s, becoming the first drug trafficker on the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted list. He is currently serving multiple life sentences in the U.S..
  Humberto García Ábrego: Juan’s brother, who attempted to take over after his brother’s arrest but lacked support.
  Cárdenas Guillén Family: This family rose to prominence after the García Ábrego era, taking control in the late 1990s.Osiel Cárdenas Guillén: Took control in 1999 after assassinating the previous co-leader. He was arrested in 2003 and extradited to the U.S. in 2007, where he remains incarcerated. He was known for creating the paramilitary group Los Zetas as the cartel’s armed wing.
  Antonio Cárdenas Guillén (“Tony Tormenta”): Osiel’s brother, who co-led the cartel with Jorge Eduardo Costilla Sánchez after Osiel’s extradition. He was killed in a shootout with Mexican marines in 2010.
  Mario Cárdenas Guillén (also known as “El Gordo”): Another brother of Osiel and Antonio, he led a faction (“Los Rojos”) within the cartel and was involved in a power struggle with the “Metros” faction.
  Other Leaders:Jorge Eduardo Costilla Sánchez (“El Coss”): A former policeman who was a key leader alongside Antonio Cárdenas Guillén and led the “Metros” faction of the cartel.
  Hugo Baldomero Medina Garza (“El Señor Padrino de los Tráilers”): Considered one of the most important members in the rearticulation of the cartel during the post-García Ábrego era. 
  Today, the Gulf Cartel is heavily fragmented into various competing factions, and the direct dynastic control by a single family has largely diminished due to arrests, deaths, and internal power struggles. 
• 
  The Gulf Cartel has fragmented into multiple independent and rival factions, making a single, clear leadership structure difficult to discern
  . The leaders often change due to arrests and ongoing violence. 
  Current known or likely leaders of some prominent factions include:
  Los Metros: This faction is based in Reynosa and is reportedly led by Carlos Humberto Acuña de los Santos, alias “El Mono,” “Comandante Mono,” or “M-36”. Another source from 2021 mentioned César Morfín Morfín as a leader, so leadership may be contested or shared.
  Grupo Escorpiones (Scorpions): This is one of the most formidable factions, based in Matamoros. After the arrest of its previous leader José Alberto García Vilano (“La Kena”) in January 2024, authorities identified Armando López Garcés, alias “El Pajarito,” as the likely successor.
  Los Ciclones (Cyclones): Allied with the Escorpiones, this faction is also based in Matamoros and is often involved in conflicts with Los Metros.
  Los Rojos: This faction, which was largely defeated in internal infighting by Los Metros in the early 2010s, was previously led by Juan Mejía González, alias “El R1”. Their current status as a significant independent faction is less clear, as they may have been absorbed or diminished.
  Other Rival Groups: Factions of the Gulf Cartel also face pressure from external rivals like the Cartel del Noreste (an offshoot of the Zetas) and potential incursions by the Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). 
  The situation is dynamic, with constant power struggles and violence impacting who controls which territories and factions. 
• 
  Los Escorpiones (The Scorpions) and Los Ciclones (The Cyclones) are two powerful factions of the fragmented Gulf Cartel that have 
  formed an allianceto control the lucrative drug and human trafficking routes in Matamoros and other eastern parts of the state of Tamaulipas. 
  This alliance was formed in recent years to consolidate power and ward off invasions from rival factions within the Gulf Cartel, such as Los Metros, as well as external groups like the Cartel del Noreste. 
  Key aspects of their relationship:
  Shared Territory: Both groups are based in and operate out of Matamoros, a crucial border crossing point across from Brownsville, Texas.
  Joint Operations: The factions have engaged in joint operations, including a significant attack on Reynosa in 2021 to gain territory from the rival Los Metros faction.
  Historical Ties: Los Escorpiones originally served as the personal armed wing for Antonio Cárdenas Guillén (“Tony Tormenta”), a former overall leader of the Gulf Cartel. After his death, they largely aligned with Los Ciclones to maintain influence in the Matamoros area.
  Leadership Overlap: The former leader of the Scorpions, José Alberto García Vilano (“La Kena”), was also identified by authorities with a nickname associated with the Cyclones, “Cyclone 19”, indicating a degree of intertwined leadership or shared command structure. 
  In essence, they function as a unified force within the Matamoros region, representing one of the primary power blocs within the fractured Gulf Cartel today. 
• 
  The joint operation by the Gulf Cartel’s Matamoros-based 
  Los Escorpiones and Los Ciclones factions in Reynosa involved a violent campaign to gain control of territory from the rival Los Metros faction in June 2021. 
  Key details of the operation:
  Objective: The primary goal was to seize control of Reynosa, a crucial border city with key drug and human trafficking routes across from McAllen, Texas.
  Tactics: Gunmen from the Matamoros factions, traveling in convoys of vehicles, carried out seemingly random shooting attacks across various neighborhoods, targeting both rivals and civilians to sow chaos and fear.
  Casualties: The violence culminated in a massacre where at least 19 people were killed in one weekend in June 2021. The victims were a mix of alleged rival gang members, but also included innocent bystanders such as taxi drivers, construction workers, a nursing student, and shopkeepers.
  Response: Mexican security forces engaged in shootouts with the assailants, resulting in the deaths of four suspected gunmen. Two women who had been kidnapped by the gunmen were also rescued.
  Outcome: While the violence was severe, it did not lead to the complete overthrow of Los Metros in Reynosa. The incident eventually led to a short-lived truce between the warring factions in July 2021. However, power struggles have continued, and Reynosa remains a volatile city contested by various groups, with Los Metros maintaining a significant presence. 
  The operation was a clear example of “heating up the plaza,” a tactic used by cartels to destabilize a rival’s territory and assert dominance. 
• 
  alliance between Los Escorpiones and Los Ciclones was primarily driven by the need to consolidate power, control valuable border territories in 
  Matamoros, and protect themselves from mutual rivals, most notably the Los Metros faction and the external Cartel del Noreste. 
  The key factors that led to their alliance are:
  Shared Control of Matamoros: Both factions are based in the strategically vital border city of Matamoros, a major crossing point for drug and human trafficking. Forming an alliance allowed them to maintain a unified front in this critical location.
  Common Enemies: Both groups identified Los Metros (based in Reynosa) and the Cartel del Noreste (an offshoot of Los Zetas) as their primary adversaries. Uniting their forces gave them a stronger position to defend against incursions from these rivals.
  Historical Ties/Shared Origin: Los Escorpiones were originally the personal security/armed wing for Antonio Cárdenas Guillén (“Tony Tormenta”), a former top leader of the Gulf Cartel. After his death in 2010, the group went underground in Matamoros and eventually allied with Los Ciclones, a later-arising Matamoros faction that also had ties to the Cárdenas Guillén family loyalists.
  Internal Power Struggles: The broader Gulf Cartel has been fractured for over a decade due to internal infighting, particularly between the Cárdenas-loyal factions (like the Rojos, Ciclones, and Escorpiones) and those loyal to Jorge Eduardo Costilla Sánchez (“El Coss”), known as the Metros. The alliance was a strategic move to survive these ongoing power struggles. 
  In essence, the alliance was a pragmatic decision for mutual survival and control over one of the most lucrative criminal territories in Mexico.