From Exotic Animals to Lavish Parties: The Ostentatious Lifestyle of ‘Tío Lako’, CJNG Leader in Michoacán

Heraclio Guerrero Martínez heads a criminal family clan that for decades has been at the service of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes’ organization, ‘El Mencho’.

The roots of Los Guerreros are deeply embedded in Tinaja de Vargas. This town located in the municipality of Tanhuato, Michoacán, has been for decades the operational center of a violent family clan allied with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), which hasn’t only been key to its expansion but also managed to consolidate a significant social base.

At the head of this wing of the four-letter cartel is Heraclio Guerrero Martínez, better known as Tío Lako, who, at over 70 years old, is considered one of the most important associates that Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, El Mencho, relies on to operate in the border region between Jalisco and Michoacán.

According to local media reports, a little over a decade ago, in November 2015, Heraclio Guerrero Martínez was arrested after the then Attorney General’s Office in the State (PGJE) identified him as one of the masterminds behind the murder of Enrique Hernández Saucedo, a former self-defense group leader who was running for mayor of Yurécuaro.

Tío Lako was prosecuted for the murder of the Morena party candidate; however, although the circumstances of his release are unknown, since 2023 a series of events have once again put the regional CJNG leader in the public eye, both for the involvement of Los Guerreros—as his armed wing is known—in criminal acts, and for the ostentatious lifestyle and the impunity with which he operates in different areas of Michoacán and Jalisco.

The Quinceañera party

The celebration took place on September 25 of that same year in Tinaja de Vargas, an area where the presence of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), and specifically Los Guerreros, had been documented for decades.

A life-sized doll with projections of Disney princesses, immense floral arrangements hanging from the ceiling and used as centerpieces, crystal tableware, long tables with golden ornaments, fireworks, and performances by nationally known artists and comedians were all part of the lavish event organized by El Tío Lako to celebrate his daughter’s fifteenth birthday.

The name “Nicole” was written across the sky above the town in Michoacán using drones, while among her gifts were a pink Mercedes-Benz SUV and a black off-road vehicle.  The luxury and extravagance of the celebration contrasted sharply with the security arrangements, which were handled by the birthday girl’s father’s own subordinates.

According to the audiovisual materials that circulated about the event, heavily armed civilians guarded the celebration, displaying the initials CJNG on their tactical gear. These images confirmed that the lavish party wasn’t for just any local girl celebrating her quinceañera, but for the daughter of the most influential criminal leader in the area.

The initials NG—corresponding to Nicole Guerrero—also adorned a brochure given to the guests, which explained the itinerary of the celebration.  The list included the participation of comedian Teo González and performances by artists such as Pancho Barraza, Julión Álvarez, Alfredo Olivas, and the controversial group Los Alegres del Barranco.

THE FACT…

Los Alegres del Barranco and the CJNG

The popular group sparked outrage and controversy after one of their performances in Jalisco featured an image of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias El Mencho, leader and founder of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

After images of the show went viral, Los Alegres del Barranco were fined for glorifying crime, and their U.S. visas were even revoked.

Although the controversy surrounding Los Alegres del Barranco occurred two years after the lavish quinceañera party, it’s true that their musical repertoire includes numerous songs dedicated to leaders of the four-letter cartel, from El Mencho to Heraclio Guerrero Martínez himself.

“He has one hundred percent support and is backed by Don Mencho […] The radios are always on, weapons ready for combat, and the smuggling continues. I haven’t forgotten my ranch, where I was raised and born in La Tinaja de Vargas […] absolute Jalisco Cartel, I’m a four-letter man, just so you know […] you’ll see me in Jalisco and Michoacán, don’t mess with me without permission because I have eyes everywhere, I’m El Lako, at your service,” is heard in a narco ballad that the controversial group dedicated to the leader of Los Guerreros.

Additionally, according to documents from the Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA) leaked by Guacamaya Leaks and reviewed by journalist Angel Hernández for MILENIO, Tío Lako maintains a close relationship with Ricardo Ruíz Velasco, alias El Doble R, another of the highest-ranking commanders of the CJNG, with whom he shares a taste for extravagant parties that have been enlivened by another of the most popular exponents of regional Mexican music in recent years: Luis R. Conríquez.

Exotic animals

The viral spread of the video of Uncle Lako’s daughter’s party put the CJNG leader on the authorities’ radar, who, within days, launched various operations to locate him. One of these was a raid on a ranch in Tinaja de Vargas in Tanhuato, which not only further evidenced his influence in the region but also revealed a peculiar taste: exotic animals.

“A lion cub, a panther, and a tiger were rescued during a raid on a property in the town of Tinaja de Vargas, in the municipality of Tanhuato, carried out in an inter-institutional operation that sought the capture of a criminal target with a presence in this region,” reads a statement from the Michoacán government.

The operation involved elements of the Civil Guard of the Public Security Secretariat (SSP), the Mexican Army, and investigative authorities; however, no arrests were reported, only the rescue of the felines.

The animals were safely rescued and medically evaluated before being transferred to the Benito Juárez Zoo in Morelia, where, according to reports by journalist Elizabeth Guzmán for MILENIO, they were exhibited to visitors days later.

The felines were diagnosed with malnutrition and calcium deficiency, neglect that was addressed by specialists at their new home, while their original owner—Tío Lako—managed to escape the operation to arrest him.

The Distribution of Gifts

The influence that Heraclio Guerrero Martínez and Los Guerreros have on the border between Jalisco and Michoacán has allowed them to forge a solid social base. To achieve this, the family clan allied with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel has resorted to an old practice of organized crime: distributing gifts to communities.

The high purchasing power guaranteed by their criminal activities also allows them to approach the civilian population through false acts of charity during certain holidays, such as Mother’s Day, Children’s Day, or in the midst of natural disasters. One of the most recent instances of this type of activity occurred in La Piedad, Zamora, Tanhuato, and Tinaja de Vargas in Michoacán, when subordinates of “Tío Lako” gave toys to children in the communities as part of the Three Kings’ Day celebration.

In videos circulating on social media, heavily armed civilians can be seen in vehicles, from which they disembark to distribute the gifts. Other footage shows crowds of people trying to get some of the items handed out by “Los Guerreros”. 

“If a portion of the profits generated by organized crime is used to alleviate the poverty experienced by many of the communities where they operate, in the eyes of those communities, the criminal activity mitigates its harmful nature and gains legitimacy insofar as it can provide services and functions traditionally associated with the State,” explains an article published in the Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities of the Autonomous University of Chiapas.

The story of Tío Lako and Los Guerreros embodies the false stereotype of what it means to belong to a criminal organization, while their operations continue to unleash waves of violence in the region that has been under their criminal control for years.

Sources: Milenio, Cartel Insider Archives