428 Million Pesos, Not 110: Firm the U.S. Ties to the Cártel del Noreste Billed Samuel García’s Nuevo León for Port Work on the Border With Laredo, Texas, Proceso Says

By The Narco Blog · October 17, 2026 · Updated October 17, 2026

A construction firm the U.S. Treasury ties to the Cártel del Noreste (CDN) billed Nuevo León’s government about 428 million pesos under Gov. Samuel García, Proceso reported Oct. 16, 2026. That is nearly four times the roughly 110 million pesos in contracts reported earlier this week. The firm, CEGESA, is owned by sanctioned horseman Gamaliel Garza García. Most of the billing was for work at the state’s Puerto Colombia port in Anáhuac, on the border with Laredo, Texas.

What the invoices show

Proceso said it reviewed 39 digital tax invoices (CFDI) that Construcciones y Edificaciones Garza Elías (CEGESA) issued between July 20, 2022, and Nov. 5, 2025. All went to Codefront, Nuevo León’s border development agency, and none was cancelled. Together they total 427,926,154 pesos including VAT. By Proceso’s count, the yearly totals rose from 21.5 million pesos in 2022 to 167.8 million in 2025. The largest single invoice was 50.5 million pesos, dated Sept. 1, 2025.

Proceso said CEGESA billed 1,779.9 million pesos in total from 2020 to 2025, so about one peso in four came from Codefront. It also found 537 invoices, worth 159 million pesos, from COPASA to CEGESA. COPASA is a sister firm created in March 2024, which Treasury also sanctioned.

Why the totals differ

Earlier figures came from contracts, not invoices. Mexicanos Contra la Corrupción y la Impunidad (MCCI) found three contracts worth about 110 million pesos on Mexico’s transparency platform, and LatinUS reported 105.9 million. Our Oct. 14 report also cited Milenio’s count of 134.3 million pesos in nine contracts with CEGESA and COPASA. Proceso’s total comes from the invoices themselves.

What officials say

Treasury sanctioned CEGESA and both Gamaliel Garzas, father and son, on Oct. 13. It alleges the firm “corruptly obtained government contracts,” then subcontracted the work to people affiliated with the Cártel del Noreste. Codefront director Marco Antonio González Valdez told Proceso that, based on the public information available at the time, CEGESA’s reputation was “spotless.” Nuevo León’s secretary general, Miguel Ángel Flores, said tenders follow set procedures and promised an investigation led by the state comptroller. Proceso reported no response from García or CEGESA.

If you cross the border here, see our Nuevo Laredo–Laredo safety guide.

Related coverage: Who Is Gamaliel Garza García? The Horseman the U.S. Says Is a Cártel del Noreste Associate Won at Los Alamitos, California, 10 Days Before Sanctions — and His Firm Got 110 Million Pesos in Nuevo León Contracts

Sources

• Proceso, “La constructora que Washington liga al Cártel del Noreste facturó 428 millones al gobierno de Samuel García,” Oct. 16, 2026
• La Silla Rota, “Samuel García dio contratos por 110 mdp a empresa sancionada…: MCCI,” Oct. 13, 2026
• U.S. Department of the Treasury, “Treasury Targets Cartel del Noreste’s Horse Racing Enterprise and Expansive Criminal Network,” Oct. 13, 2026
• Photos: Gobierno de Nuevo León photo and Proceso graphic, via Proceso

Reported Oct. 17, 2026, from the sources above. The invoice totals are Proceso’s and were not independently verified. Treasury’s statements are U.S. government allegations, not court findings. Sanctions are not criminal charges, and neither Garza García, his son nor CEGESA has been charged or convicted in this matter.