Los Negros
| Founded | 2003 |
|---|---|
| Founded by | Edgar Valdez Villarreal |
| Founding location | Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico |
| Years active | 2003−2010 |
| Ethnicity | Mexican |
| Criminal activities | Drug trafficking, people smuggling, money laundering, extortion, kidnapping, murder and arms trafficking |
| Rivals | Beltrán-Leyva Cartel, Gulf Cartel, MS-13, La Familia Cartel, Sinaloa Cartel, Los Zetas |
Los Negros ("The Black Ones") was a criminal organization that was once the armed wing of the Sinaloa Cartel and after a switch of alliances, became the armed wing of the Sinaloa splinter gang, the Beltrán-Leyva Cartel. In 2010 it went independent and had been contesting the control of the Beltrán-Leyva Cartel. It was then the criminal paramilitary unit of Édgar Valdez Villarreal (a.k.a. "La Barbie") in Mexico. Valdez was arrested on August 30, 2010 near Mexico City. Los Negros was led by "La Barbie" an American from Laredo, Texas with blue eyes and blonde hair at the time they merged with the Sinaloa Cartel.
The group was originally formed to counter Los Zetas gang and government security forces. Los Negros used to work with the Beltrán-Leyva Cartel but following Arturo Beltrán Leyva's death in December 2009 during a shootout with Mexican Marines, infighting broke out for the control of the Beltrán-Leyva Cartel. One faction was led by lieutenants Édgar Valdez Villarreal and Gerardo Alvarez-Vazquez, while the other is led by the current cartel leader Héctor Beltrán Leyva and his 'enforcer' lieutenant, Sergio Villarreal Barragán. Los Negros then worked with Edgar Valdez Villarreal's organization until his arrest on August 30, 2010, then the gang collapsed.
Los Negros have been known to employ gangs such as Mexican Mafia and MS-13 to carry out murders and other illegal activities. The group was involved in fighting other cartels in the Nuevo Laredo region for control of the drug trafficking corridor.
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