Jose Alberto Garcia Vilano, alias La Kena or Ciclon 19, leads the Los Ciclones. Image: MEXICAN GOVERNMENT Renowned Mexican cartel boss La Kena apprehended. According to local media, the head of a branch of the infamous Gulf Cartel in Mexico has been taken into custody. The aggressive Los Ciclones group is purportedly led by José Alberto García Vilano, sometimes referred to as La Kena or Ciclon 19. Two US citizens were killed in the alleged kidnapping of four by his organisation in March of last year. According to reports, Vilano was apprehended in a Monterrey retail centre after authorities were tipped off to his whereabouts. Social media posts with unverified evidence purport to show Vilano and his friends being led by armed police through a mall. The Texan town of Brownsville is located just across the border in the United States from the border city of Matamoros, where the four US citizens were abducted. Between rival Gulf Cartel sections fighting for control of the so-called plazas, which are the drug smuggling routes leading north into the US, lies Matamoros. According to family, the four Americans drove into the dangerous town seeking cosmetic surgery after crossing the border. Americans frequently travel to Mexico for medical care, where costs are significantly lower but occasionally higher. Although the attack’s motivation is unknown, Mexican officials are reportedly looking into the possibility that the group was mistaken for members of a rival cartel. The Scorpions Group, a different Gulf Cartel splinter cell, was reported to have apologised for the kidnapping shortly after it happened and turned over five men it believed to be in charge. The state government of Tamaulipas, the region that includes Matamoros, has offered a reward of 2,500,000 pesos ($145,000; £115,000) for information that results in Vilano’s capture since 2022. Additionally, the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) apparently wanted him.
