Miguel Villarreal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | |
| Died | 10 March 2013 (Not confirmed) |
| Other names | El Gringo Gringo Mike El Gringo Villarreal Comandante Gringo (Commander Gringo) |
| Occupation | Gulf Cartel leader |
| Opponents | |
Miguel Villarreal (died 10 March 2013) was a U.S.-born Mexican suspected drug lord and high-ranking leader of the Gulf Cartel, a criminal group based in Tamaulipas. He was the crime boss of Reynosa, Tamaulipas. Nicknamed El Gringo in reference to his U.S. nationality, Villarreal was identified by authorities as a Gulf Cartel leader in 2010, when he allegedly commanded cells that fought Los Zetas drug cartel in northeastern Mexico. By 2011, he served as the regional kingpin in Miguel Alemán, Tamaulipas and ordered several kidnappings and killings in the South Texas border area from Mexico.
During 2011 and 2012 Mexican media outlets reported on two occasions that Villarreal had been killed in an armed confrontation with either rival drug traffickers and Mexican law enforcement officers. By that point, rival factions within the Gulf Cartel were fighting each other for control of Tamaulipas and the cartel. Although not officially confirmed, Stratfor intelligence agency reported that Villarreal was killed in a three-hour gunfight that left at least three dozen dead in Reynosa, Tamaulipas on 10 March 2013. The shootout was caused by an attempt by Mario Ramírez Treviño, another high-ranking drug lord of the Gulf Cartel, to remove his rivals and become the undisputed leader of the cartel.