Los Zetas Inc.: Criminal Corporations, Energy, and Civil War in Mexico

400 Pages·2017·12.371 MB·English

by  Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera

Los Zetas Inc.
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Los Zetas Inc.
Criminal Corporations, Energy,
and Civil War in Mexico
Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera
University of Texas Press Austin
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Copyright © 2017 by the University of Texas Press
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
First edition, 2017
Requests for permission to reproduce material from this work should be sent to:
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The paper used in this book meets the minimum requirements of
ANSI/NISO Z39.48–1992 (R1997) (Permanence of Paper).
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Correa-Cabrera, Guadalupe, author.
Title: Los Zetas Inc. : criminal corporations, energy, and civil war in Mexico /
Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera.
Description: First edition. | Austin : University of Texas Press, 2017. | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifi ers: LCCN 2016038241| ISBN 978-1-4773-1274-2 (cloth : alk. paper) |
ISBN 978-1-4773-1275-9 (pbk : alk. paper) | ISBN 978-1-4773-1276-6
(library e-book) | ISBN 978-1-4773-1277-3 (non-library e-book)
Subjects: LCSH: Zetas (Drug cartel) | Organized crime—Mexico. | Drug
control—Mexico. | Drug traffi c—Mexico. | Narco-terrorism—Mexico. |
Transnational crime—International cooperation. | Paramilitary forces—
Mexico. | Political violence—Mexico. | Energy industries—Corrupt
practices—Mexico.
Classifi cation: LCC HV5840.M4 C68 2017 | DDC 364.1060972—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016038241
doi:10.7560/312742
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To my parents, María Guadalupe Cabrera and Alfonso Correa
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Contents
Maps, Tables, and Figures ix
Abbreviations xi
Acknowledgments xv
Introduction 1
SECTION I. The Zetas: Criminal Paramilitaries in a
Transnational Business
1. The Zetas’ Origins 15
2. The Zetas’ War 36
3. A Transnational Criminal Corporation 56
SECTION II. Mexico’s Drug War: A Modern Civil War?
4. Paramilitarization of Organized Crime and a “War on Drugs” 87
5. The New Paramilitarism in Mexico 107
6. Mexico’s Modern Civil War 126
SECTION III. Los Zetas Incorporated
7. The Zetas’ War and Mexico’s Energy Sector 157
8. Energy and Security in Tamaulipas, Ground Zero for the Zetas 186
9. Who Benefi ts from the Zetas’ War? 211
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viii Contents
Conclusion. Four Successful Business Models in an Era of
Modern Civil Wars 239
Appendix 1. Energy Reform and the Zetas’ Expansion
(Timeline) 259
Appendix 2. History of Organized Crime in Tamaulipas:
Timeline of Key Events 267
Appendix 3. Map of Criminal Paramilitaries and
Natural Resources in Mexico 281
Appendix 4. El disfraz de la guerra (The War’s Disguise):
Communiqué by Residents of La Ribereña 283
Appendix 5. Organizational Charts: Constellis Holdings, LLC,
and Los Zetas Inc. 289
Appendix 6. Areas of Dominant Infl uence of Major TCOs
in Mexico, 2015 291
Notes 293
References 315
Index 341
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Maps, Tables, and Figures
Maps
Map 1.1. Tamaulipas: A strategic Mexican border state 16
Map 2.1. The battle for the Tamaulipas territories 40
Map 2.2. The Zetas’ area of infl uence in Mexico (2010–2013) 41
Map 7.1. Energy in Chihuahua, northeastern Mexico, and
the Gulf corridor 160
Map 7.2. Oil and gas in Mexico 161
Map 7.3. Shale gas reserves in Mexico 162
Map 7.4. Hydrocarbons in northeastern Mexico 163
Map 7.5. Territorial control by three major TCOs, 2013 164
Map 7.6. Violence in Coahuila 167
Map 7.7. Water, energy resources, and energy infrastructure
in Coahuila 168
Map 7.8. Violence, mining, and infrastructure in Michoacán 175
Map 8.1. Tamaulipas Plan (Plan Tamaulipas) 192
Map 8.2. Hydrocarbons in Tamaulipas I 195
Map 8.3. Hydrocarbons in Tamaulipas II and Burgos Basin 196
Map 8.4. New infrastructure in Tamaulipas 203
Map 8.5. Land property in Tamaulipas 208
Map 9.1. Mexican states at risk of “expropriation” 222
Map 9.2. The Eagle Ford Shale formation and Mexico’s basins 237
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