Alejo Garza Tamez

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In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Garza and the second or maternal family name is Tamez.
Alejo Garza Tamez
Born1933
Allende, Nuevo León, Mexico
Died14 November 2010 (aged 77)
Padilla, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Cause of deathMurdered
NationalityMexican
Other namesDon Alejo, "The Executioner of the Narcos"
OccupationBusinessman, hunter, poultry farmer, rancher
Known forArmed confrontation against organized criminals.

Alejo Garza Tamez (1933 – 14 November 2010), better known as Don Alejo was a Mexican businessman, rancher, and recreational hunter. Don Alejo gained notoriety after making a last stand against the Los Zetas cartel, in defence of his ranch, near Ciudad Victoria, in Tamaulipas.[1]

Biography[]

Alejo Garza Tamez was born in 1933 in Allende, Nuevo León, a town located around 50 kilometers south of Monterrey. Tamez spent most of his childhood in the wooded hills of Nuevo León. Alejo's father owned a sawmill and together with his brothers, helped his father harvest and sell lumber at their stores in Montemorelos and Allende.

Alejo gained a positive reputation for working hard and being reliable. Many friends and relatives would state that "a promise from Don Alejo was as good as a contract." Alejo assisted members of his local community through the promotion of poultry farming as a replacement for nearby ailing orange plantations.

Since childhood, Alejo was an enthusiastic hunter and fisherman, helping in the establishment of a hunting, fishing and shooting club in Allende. Alejo gained a reputation as a good marksman, and particularly specialized in hunting doves, geese and deer. Subsequently, he began to acquire a large collection of sporting rifles.[2]

Alejo, with the assistance of his brother, bought the "San José" ranch in Tamaulipas, located 15 kilometers from Ciudad Victoria.

Ranch siege[]

Members of the Los Zetas cartel demanded Alejo hand over his ranch property on the 13th of November 2010, giving him 24 hours to comply.[3] Alejo, aged 77, refused to hand the property over. He rounded up the farm workers and ordered them to take the next day off. Alejo then placed weapons by his doors and windows, utilising his large collection of hunting and sporting weapons.

The following morning the cartel vehicles entered the ranch and were placed by the entrance to Alejo's house. The assassins fired a warning shot into the air, and proclaimed that they would forcefully seize the ranch. Garza Tamez responded with gunfire, and thus the armed gang responded by opening fire on the house, using rifles and grenades. Despite the numerical superiority of the cartel members, they were unable to take the ranch and fled before the arrival of Mexican Marines. Don Alejo took cover in the farm house, killing four of the attackers, while wounding two others.[4]

Mexican Navy units entered the property to find a deserted house partially destroyed by bullet holes and grenade explosions. They found six abandoned bodies on the outside of the farm, four dead and two unconscious. Inside the house they found only the body of Alejo Garza Tamez sustaining 2 bullet wounds, one in the chest and the other in the head.

Upon inspection of the ranch house, it was revealed that guns and shell casings were found in all the windows and doors. It was understood that Alejo had designed his strategy to fight alone, placing weapons on all doors and windows.

Upon inspection, it was determined that Tamez sustained serious injuries from grenade shrapnel and subsequently died before the arrival of the marines.

Aftermath[]

Initially, many local media institutions deferred publishing news of the siege, due to the administrative power of the Los Zetas cartel. However, the Milenio newspaper widely reported on the events, with the story quickly spreading throughout Mexican social media sites.[5] Don Alejo quickly became a cultural icon for his efforts in defending himself against organised crime.[6]

Despite the significant media attention, no investigation into Alejo's murder has taken place, or any charges be issued against the Los Zetas cartel.[7]

However, Alejo remains a prominent cultural icon, with several news sites describing Alejo as "fighting with dignity, honour and courage".

In popular culture[]

  • Various Mexican musicians have composed corridos in remembrance of Alejo.
  • American writer Don Winslow novelized Alejos stand in his book The Cartel (2015).
  • Alejo is the subject of the independent film "Massacre in San Jose", by Mexican director Edgar Nito.
  • In 2019, Italian Comics Publisher, Panini Cómics published a story "El Viejo El Narco" (The Old Man and the Narco).[8]
  • The story of Alejo Garza Tamez features as a subject of the online video series 'Mad Lads' by Mark Meechan.[9]

References[]

  1. ^ "Defiende su rancho del narco hasta la muerte RIP Alejo Garza Tamez". 2011-07-16. Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  2. ^ Adelmann, Bob (2010-12-01). "Don Alejo Garza Tamez: True Grit". The New American. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  3. ^ "México Inseguro: Don Alejo Garza Tamez - Documental - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  4. ^ Otis, Ginger Adams (2010-12-05). "High noon at not-ok corral". New York Post. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  5. ^ "Alejo Garza Tamez, A 10 años del enfrentamiento contra sicarios". www.milenio.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  6. ^ "The Monster and Monterrey". Human Rights Watch. 2011-05-26. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  7. ^ Shahani, Arjan (December 7, 2010). "Mexican Heroes We Shouldn't Have". Americas Quarterly. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  8. ^ "El Viejo y el Narco". comics.panini.es. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  9. ^ "Absolute Mad Lads - Don Alejo Garza Tamez - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
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