Mica for Cartelinsider.com Plaza Vallarta is an original content series investigating the activity of CJNG in the port city of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco. Previous Chapter 1, Chapter 2.
Animal Lover
I thanked the Uber driver as he dropped me off away from the Zoo at my request. He provided me with the name of the municipality where El Sapo lived. As I walked down the path to the Zoo, I familiarized myself with the provided municipality.
My previous interviews and research showed me that El Sapo had a ranch 40 minutes from Puerto Vallarta. I continued the mile walk to the Zoo while reviewing the map to check the distance of the supposed ranch location to Vallarta.
To my surprise, it was a 45-minute drive! I smile inside and must admit I have had incredible luck so far. As I approached the Zoo, I planned to purchase a ticket and find an employee who would be open to talk for the right price.
The Power of $2
As I walked through the Zoo towards the big cats, A man in his late thirties stared at me. I walked up to the zoo keeper and reached into my left pocket a $2 bill from my jacket. I made eye contact and handed him the bill. In Spanish, I said, “Señor, ¿puede llevarme a los grandes felinos?” Where are the big Cats?
You are probably asking, what’s up with the $2 bills? Two-dollar bills are a sign of good luck to some in Mexico. My father would travel with a stack of $2s for decades, tipping everyone. Most people will do the sign of the cross in Catholic tradition and keep the bill instead of spending it.
The zoo keeper gladly accepted the $2 bill and motioned me to follow him. As we zig-zagged through the path to our destination, I asked him in English, “How long have you worked here? “He replied in English that he had worked at the Zoo for six years. I introduced myself as we approached the big Cats, and he did the same. I will refer to him as Mario going forward. Mario is an animal lover, and I am sure he flirted with me a few times while we walked.
As we approached the Tiger, I took out 500 pesos and asked, Mario, how familiar are you with these tigers?” His eyes opened, he accepted the money and nodded. Mario replied that nobody here knows more about these tigers. I asked. “So you can answer anything about them?” He nodded and said, Yes.
Nobody was around, and I decided to cut to the chase and speak freely. “Mario, I want to buy a tiger cub, but I hear all the ones from this zoo already have an owner as soon they are ready to leave.” He looked at me with confusion as I had danced around the real question. Then I said, “These Tigers all belong to narcos, yes?” as I nodded slowly.
Tiger King
Mario looked confused but nodded, so I decided to pull out another 500 pesos to ease his mind. He accepted and looked around to make sure it was just us. “Yes, these cubs are for narcos. They buy the cubs and give the Zoo the older tigers back with money.” Really? I paused and asked, “How much does El Sapo give you with each tiger?” He paused and said 5,000 pesos per Tiger. He then said that the boss of Plaza Varallta is kind and gives away Tigers as gifts.
I asked if some of these older Tigers once belonged to El Sapo. He confirmed and said yes. My last objective was to name-drop the municipality where El Sapo resided, but this was promising. I looked directly into his eyes and said, “You must have been to his ranch many times (hidden name for next chapter) to help transfer these beautiful cats.” He nodded and said that he had met El Sapo, and the conversation was about Tigers. He continued by stating that he was incredibly generous to the older animals.
It’s no surprise that Mario appreciates the support narcos provide for the Zoo. This example exemplifies how cartels stimulate the economy and indirectly employ thousands. Fifteen minutes had passed, and this conversation was coming to an end.
I thanked him with another 500 pesos and asked for one more favor. Mario, do you have a story you can share? He smiled and pridefully said, “Senior Mencho” had received some of his cubs.” I shook his hand and thanked him.
I exited the Zoo, pleased with the new information, and walked up to meet the new Uber driver. I quickly got inside the back and immediately created notes from my conversation with Mario. I arranged to be dropped off at a restaurant near my new hotel, and paranoia is slowly rising.
In less than 24 hours and with 2,500 pesos ($150), I had uncovered some significant details about the boss of Plaza Vallarta. The Uber dropped me off at Joe Jack’s and Jack’sd Mezcalitas 🐅
In the next chapter, you will learn about the municipality, and we inspect the area.
Thanks for reading!
Mica@cartelinsider.com
@cartelinsider1
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