‘El Tormenta Junior,’ Son of ‘Tony Tormenta’ and Nephew of Osiel Cárdenas, Former Leaders of the Gulf Cartel

This is the second time Mexican authorities have arrested the leader of Los Escorpiones.

On Sunday, August 17, the arrest of Ezequiel Cárdenas Rivera, better known as El Tormenta Junior, was reported. He is the alleged leader of Los Escorpiones, one of the factions of the Gulf Cartel, a criminal group once headed by his own father, Antonio Cárdenas Guillén, Tony Tormenta.

The kingpin was arrested by members of the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) in a building located between Pedro de Alvarado and Infanta Elena streets, in the Villa Española neighborhood, in the municipality of Matamorros, Tamaulipas. MILENIO tells you everything you need to know about El Tormenta Junior.

El Tormenta Junior: Family Tree

Although El Tormenta Junior had previously been arrested by Mexican authorities in 2011, his criminal record goes back to his own legacy, as the current leader of Los Escorpiones is the son of none other than Tony Tormenta and nephew of Osiel Cardenas Guillen, founders of the Gulf Cartel.

Who was Tony Tormenta?

In the case of Tony Tormenta, it is known that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) had identified him as the person in charge of planning, organizing, supervising, and directing the Gulf Cartel’s drug trafficking and money-raising activities.

“He began his (criminal) career in the late 1980s. He rose through the ranks of the Gulf Cartel and eventually took command of the Matamoros plaza,” they note.

Among other things, the United States accused him of controlling the Matamoros-Brownsville corridor and of being responsible for shipping several tons of marijuana and cocaine to the United States. He was included in a 2008 federal indictment in the District of Columbia for violations of Titles 18 and 21 of the United States Code.

Tony Tormenta died on November 5, 2010, during a long and violent armed confrontation with federal forces in his hometown.

Who is Osiel Cárdenas Guillén?

For his part, Osiel Cárdenas Guillén, the uncle of El Tormenta Junior, better known as El Mata Amigos, became the leader of the Gulf Cartel in the 1990s.

According to the US government, the drug lord was wanted in Mexico for drug trafficking and illegal firearm possession, at 57 years of age he was extradited to his home country after serving his sentence in the United States.

Osiel Cárdenas Guillén, originally from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, in northern Mexico, was born on May 18, 1957.

Together with Tony Tormenta, they inherited the Gulf Cartel from Juan García Ábrego, a business that already had distribution chains in Houston, Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, among other cities in the United States.

“Cárdenas recruited at least 31 former Mexican Special Forces soldiers to act as security agents for salaries up to three times higher than what they received in the armed forces. They were expert snipers trained with weapons inaccessible to most of their drug-trafficking rivals,” reads an article published by the foundation dedicated to the study and research of threats to national security and the citizens of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Regarding his origins in the drug business, Osiel Cárdenas began as a drug dealer, selling cocaine in a mechanic’s shop. Later, he became a criminal leader and founder of Los Zetas.

Óscar Balderas, a Milenio contributor, talks about Osiel Cárdenas Gillén’s entry into the Altiplano after his extradition from the United States.

What is known about El Tormenta Junior?

According to the arrest record, Ezequiel Cárdenas Rivera is described as being approximately 1.85 meters tall, with a robust build, light complexion, black hair, and a beard. At the time of his arrest, he was wearing a green shirt and matching shorts, as well as white tennis shoes.

Several local media outlets report that Ezequiel Cárdenas had already been arrested several years ago, in 2011 to be exact, but it wasn’t until this Sunday, August 17, 2025, that he was recaptured.

In addition to being the son of Tony Tormenta and the nephew of Ociel Cárdenas, Ezequiel Cárdenas Rivera had other uncles linked to the Gulf Cartel:

Mario Cárdenas Guillen, who was the first of the brothers to join the drug trafficking world.

Homero Cárdenas Guillen, who reportedly died of a heart condition after several years as a member of the criminal group.

At the time of his arrest, Tony Tormenta’s son was driving a pickup truck while intoxicated in the state, according to the Tamaulipas State Security Spokesperson’s Office.

Members of the State Guard detained him and seized the vehicle, a handgun, a magazine, and five rounds of ammunition.

“The detainee and the seized items were handed over to the Attorney General’s Office for further investigation.”

What is known about Los Escorpiones? Origins

An investigation by Anel Tello for MILENIO indicates that after the Gulf Cartel began to gain prominence within the country’s underworld, it managed to establish a meticulous distribution network that extended to cities such as Houston, Atlanta, New York, and Los Angeles.

After the arrest and extradition of Juan García Abrego in 1996, the leadership of the criminal organization was assumed by brothers Osiel and Antonio Cárdenas Guillén. Although they enjoyed the heyday of the business, they also faced the more proactive role that federal authorities at the time took to curb organized crime.

This precedent was sufficient for Osiel Cárdenas Guillén to take on the task of recruiting deserters from the Mexican Army’s Airmobile Special Forces Group (GAFES), an elite corps that received training from international military forces: Los Zetas.

With Los Zetas spreading terror throughout every municipality in Tamaulipas and the states of eastern Mexico, the Gulf Cartel managed to expand its power. However, disputes over leadership began to arise among the Cárdenas Guillén brothers.

Aware that the armed wing founded by his brother was bloodthirsty and ruthless, Antonio Cárdenas Guillén set about forming his own group of bodyguards whose initial objective was to guarantee his safety.

With a scorpion as its emblem, the faction led by Tony Tormenta began to gain prominence within the Gulf Cartel, while Osiel Cárdenas Guillén assigned specific units to maintain control of important locations for his lucrative business.

Thus, splits began to emerge in key municipalities such as Reynosa, where Los Metros were based; Camargo and Mier were under the control of Los Rojos; and Matamoros, under the control of Los Ciclones.

Currently, according to Ángel Hernández for MILENIO, the Gulf Cartel remains active and operates through its cells, fighting for territory and markets, primarily in the state of Tamaulipas, according to investigations by the Mexican and U.S. governments.

Among the Gulf Cartel’s splinter groups is Los Escorpiones, a criminal group that, after La Kena’s arrest, was led by Tormenta Junior himself.

Los Escorpiones are known to control the area from Matamoros to Río Bravo, in Ciudad Victoria, and have a presence in Tampico, where they coexist with Los Metros and Los Dragones.

Los Zetas Vieja Escuela are also known to have a collaboration agreement with the Gulf Cartel, through Los Escorpiones, in Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, with the aim of expanding their dominance.

Through Los Escorpiones and Los Ciclones, the Gulf Cartel has also established a presence in San Luis Potosí, in the Altiplano and Huasteca regions, from where they operate drug, human, and hydrocarbon trafficking routes, as well as extortion and kidnapping schemes.

Sources: El Guzmán, Tamaulipas RTC, Milenio, Cartel Insider