Playing Both Sides: How Juan Carlos de la Cruz Reyna Went From Cop to Cartel Leader

The shocking story of Juan Carlos de la Cruz Reyna's transition from police officer to regional leadership of Mexico's infamous Gulf Cartel

Depiction of Juan Carlos de la Cruz Reyna

Background

Tamaulipas, Mexico is known for its beautiful landscapes, delectable cuisine, and cultural richness. Tamaulipas is officially known as the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas, and it was home to the original capital of Mexico, Ciudad Victoria.

However, there is a dark side to this otherwise tropical paradise. The state of Tamaulipas has been terrorized by organized crime activity for decades.

The state of Tamaulipas was home to one of Mexico’s most notorious crime syndicates: the Gulf Cartel. The Gulf Cartel is one of the longest-running cartels in the country, and in the 1990s, kingpin Osiel Cárdenas Guillén was hard at work on recruitment efforts.

Rather than recruiting typical cartel members, Guillén focused on including members of law enforcement. By bringing police officers into the cartel, they would be able to extend their drug trafficking ring and use their police connections to take down opposition.

Playing Both Sides

Juan Carlos de la Cruz Reyna was born in 1974 or 1975 in the city of Matamoros

When Juan Carlos de la Cruz Reyna was in his early twenties, he became a police officer with the Tamaulipas State Police. He would later make a name for himself throughout the nation and beyond.

However, it was not his career in law enforcement that would earn de la Cruz Reyna his reputation.de la Cruz Reyna, then still an active-duty state police officer, was recruited by the Gulf Cartel. When he joined the cartel, he reported to Jorge Eduardo Costilla Sánchez, known within the organization as “El Coss.”

During his time as a double agent, de la Cruz Reyna secretly supported Gulf Cartel operations and likely assisted in carrying out several hits against the cartel’s enemies. de la Cruz Reyna was playing both sides, and he kept this up for several years.

Depiction of Juan Carlos de la Cruz Reyna as a police officer

Switching Sides

Ultimately, in May of 1999, de la Cruz Reyna was released from his position as a police officer, likely due to his involvement with the cartel. Interestingly, he was not arrested and did not face any charges; he was simply fired from his job.

Immediately following his termination, the Gulf Cartel welcomed de la Cruz Reyna into its ranks as a full-time member. He became part of two groups within the Gulf Cartel, which are known as the Sierras and the Tangos.

Now fully entrenched in a life of crime, de la Cruz Reyna started operating under aliases, some of which included “El JC,” “La Torta,” and “La Chona.”

Shortly after joining the cartel full-time, de la Cruz Reyna was involved in threatening two United States agents with a gun, alongside kingpin Osiel Cárdenas Guillén. The agents were on official travel in Matamoros, attempting to collect intelligence on the operations of the Gulf Cartel.

Unfortunately, the cartel members anticipated this move, and they were ready to intercept these unwelcome visitors. While Guillén initially threatened to murder the agents, they were later released from cartel captivity and returned home with their lives.