Cártel de Santos

A photo of the high command of the cartel, 1992.

The **Cártel de Santos**, known as "CDS" or simply called "the cartel" is the longest standing active cartel in Los Santos, known for having a monopoly on the gun trade in the city since 1979. Though never clarified, the cartel seems to have a connection tracing back to Mexico, probably to a bigger cartel they're a cell of. Despite its weak start, the cartel

has flourished over the long decade it has been existent for with Antonio Cortes as the head of operations and his right-hand, Andres Villanueva. Its territories are unknown other than that most of the residents inhabit the Little Mexico neighborhood, named as so due to its increasing number of Hispanic residents.

## Overview

The **Cártel de Santos** has a mysterious backstory, only known by the ones in the higher up ranks. The cartel owns a usual Mexican cartel hierarchy, but despite the chain of command that is existent, it is only employed when business calls for it. The cartel is known for treating their fellow members like family. Despite its predominant Hispanic membership, the cartel has also had members of other ethnicities - despite the different ethnicities, it has not stopped other non-Hispanic members to rise up the ranks.

Antonio Cortes is known to be the boss of operations for the cartel, but has been seen less and less due to his increasing notoriety with various law enforcement agencies that are on his track. As such, Jose Cortes (family member of Antonio Cortes) has taken over in his place. Despite this replacement, Jose didn't take the title of Jefe, however he's probably one of the lieutenants or soldiers of the cartel. The cartel's modus operandi is special, not taking the usual paramilitary stance cartels in Mexico do. The modus operandi of the cartel is always up to question, as the cartel deals with business in a discrete and careful way but when at war they're known to not lack, thus taking a paramilitary stance when required. Their war and hatred with the Los Santos Vagos will never end. Despite the long and on-going war between Jose Cortes and Angel Cortes (known leader of the Vagos and cousin of Jose Cortes), the reason for the war is unknown to everyone but the two of them.

## The RICO Act Battle

In 1992 with the creation of the RICO Act (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act), Andres Villanueva and Antonio Cortes have ordered the cartel to disappear till the heat was over. With the usage of the RICO Act, the Los Santos Police Department convinced various Los Santos judges to sign warrants on various places owned by the cartel, especially the Ocean Docks factory which was used to manufacture the weapons used in the arms trafficking business by the cartel. As such, members of the cartel lived abroad in different countries and passports, using only satellite phones as their sole communication. It is believed that this temporary disappearance of the RICO Act is what led to Antonio Cortes letting Jose Cortes in charge of some of the business by the cartel in Los Santos. In 1996, 4 years after their disappearance, the cartel returned back to their business once the heat and the attention from the Los Santos Police Department has stopped.

## Members

* Jose Cortes
* Antonio Cortes
* Andres Villanueva
* Alejandro Cortiguerra
* Angel Cortiguerra
* Hector Lopez
* Tyrone Smith
* Juarez Solorzano
* Santiago Solorzano
* Cristobal Arellano
* Itziar Ortiz
* Jose Orejuela
* Frank Salinas
* Anthony Carranza
* Daniel Winston - DEAD
* Trevor Hawk - M.I.A
* Saul Ginovalez - DEAD
* Mason Walsh
* Joseph O'Connel - DEAD
* Martin Hanks - DEAD
* Alexandra Monteya - DEAD
* Marco Garcia - M.I.A
* Emilio Davies - M.I.A
* Tito Enriquez - M.I.A