Andrés, listed in the credits as "Mr. X" was Mexican politician who served as the Secretary of Defense during the 1980s, and provided protection to Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo and his drug cartel.
Félix paid the politician's nephew Rubén Zuno Arce for an introduction. While initially appearing aloof in front of Félix, Mr. X secretly evaluated the Guadalajara cartel and approved supporting the organization as it ventured into the cocaine trafficking business. He warned Félix about a DEA operation to arrest him as Félix was waiting at the American border.
After the Rancho Búfalo raid, Félix persuades him to a face-to-face meeting, and convinces him against making any moves against the DEA.
In order to find the extent of American knowledge of the Mexican government's involvement with Félix's organization, he supported the DFS's plan of kidnapping and torturing DEA agent Enrique Camarena Salazar, and faced questioning by his superiors for his involvement.
In 1986, his nephew became paranoid after Camarena's torturer and the doctor who aided the torture were found missing, and fled to a mansion in Puerto Vallarta. Andrés sent the military to protect his nephew, but his paranoia overcame him and his nephew fled the mansion and soon found himself in DEA custody. He revealed Andrés' affiliation with the Guadalajara cartel to the DEA interrogator, but thanks to timely intervention from Félix, did not reveal his name and his connections to Félix in front of a grand jury. Under Félix's instruction, Andrés tipped off Juan Matta-Ballesteros to the Americans in order to regain his party's approval.
In 1988, Andrés sought to run for presidency, but after the arrest of his nephew, his party nominated Harvard-educated technocrat Carlos Salinas de Gortari instead. He reluctantly agreed to allow Félix Gallardo to rig the 1988 elections in favor of Salinas, going as far as shutting down the power supply to the building where the votes were tallied after rival politician Francisco Ovando Hernández began to suspect foul play. He uttered the phrase "The system has crashed", which is widely used in Mexico as an euphemism for electoral fraud.
Later, after Miguel losing his organization, Andres put the police to arrest Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo.
Real-life identity[]
Andrés is not based on a single person, but is a composite of many corrupt Mexican politicians, predominantly Juan Arévalo and Manuel Bartlett. Juan Arévalo Gardoqui was Mexico's Secretary of Defense from 1982 to 1988. He was accused of taking bribes from Rafael Caro Quintero in order to protect the Rancho Búfalo, but was never formally investigated in real life. Another person who Andrés bears a resemblance to is Manuel Bartlett, who was Mexico's Secretary of Interior from 1982 to 1988. Bartett wanted to run for Presidency in 1988, but due to his ties to the Guadalajara cartel, the PRI party picked Carlos Salinas instead and Bartlett uttered the phrase "the system has crashed"; much like Andrés as depicted in the show. Both Arévalo and Bartlett were accused by American law enforcement agents of taking part in the murder of Enrique Camarena, but neither faced any consequences. Also, neither of them were Rubén Zuno Arce's uncles.
| Narcos Mexico Season 1 | ||||
| "Camelot" Absent |
"The Plaza System" Absent |
"El Padrino" Absent |
"Rafa, Rafa, Rafa!" Absent |
"The Colombian Connection" Absent |
| "La Última Frontera" Appears |
"Jefe de Jefes" Absent |
"Just Say No" Appears |
"811 Lope de Vega" Appears |
"Leyenda" Appears |
| Narcos Mexico Season 2 | ||||
| "Salva El Tigre" Absent |
"Alea Iacta Est" Absent |
"Ruben Zuno Arce" Appears |
"The Big Dig" Appears |
"AFO" Absent |
| "El Dedazo" Absent |
"Truth and Reconciliation" Appears |
"Se Cayó El Sistema" Appears |
"Growth, Prosperity, and Liberation" Absent |
"Free Trade" Absent |