Galindo Mellado Cruz
Galdino Mellado Cruz | |
|---|---|
| Born | 18 April 1973 Tampico Alto, Veracruz, Mexico |
| Died | 9 May 2014 (aged 41) Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico |
| Cause of death | Multiple gunshot wounds |
| Other names | Z-9 El Mellado Galdino Mellado Cruz Comandante Mellado Metro-10 |
| Employers |
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| Organization(s) | Los Zetas (1999-2010) Gulf Cartel (1999-2014) Los Metros (2010-2014) |
Galdino or Galindo Mellado Cruz (18 April 1973 – 9 May 2014), commonly referred to by his alias El Mellado and/or Z-9, was a Mexican suspected drug lord and one of the founders of Los Zetas, a criminal organization originally formed by ex-commandos from the Mexican Armed Forces. He joined the Mexican Army in 1992 and was part of the Grupo Aeromóvil de Fuerzas Especiales (GAFE), an elite special forces unit of the Army. In 1999, he withdrew from the military and was recruited by the Gulf Cartel, a drug trafficking organization, shortly thereafter.
With other ex-commandos, he formed Los Zetas, a group that worked as the Gulf Cartel's military wing. In 2010, the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas broke relations and Mellado Cruz sided with the former to maintain a low profile status. He was killed in a gunfight against Mexican security forces in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, on 9 May 2014.