Reputed dope baron said to favor heavy artillery

By Dane Schiller, FOR THE EXPRESS-NEWS
Updated 02:36 a.m., Saturday, November 19, 2011

The rising nephew of imprisoned Gulf Cartel king Osiel Cardenas Guillen is said to have used grenades and homemade cannons to battle his way to the top of the family drug-trafficking business before his recent arrest in Texas, where he hid from U.S. agents and underworld rivals.

New revelations about just how powerful U.S. authorities believe Rafael Cardenas Vela had become before his capture were made public Friday in a federal indictment returned by a grand jury in Brownsville, just across the Rio Grande from the very turf he's accused of controlling.

Authorities contend Cardenas Vela, 38 — also known as Rolex or Commandante 900 — and other top-level cartel bosses managed cocaine and marijuana distribution cells throughout the United States, including in Houston, Brownsville and McAllen.

They also say Cardenas Vela bribed members of Mexican law enforcement in exchange for information and protection.

“Agents have made it a top priority to bring stability and security to this border region,â€