Tagged: Matamoros

October 19th, 2017 Breaking News Comments Off on Armored convoy of cartel gunmen invades Mexican border town

Armored convoy of cartel gunmen invades Mexican border town

(BREITBART) — RIO BRAVO, Tamaulipas — Dozens of SUVs filled with Gulf Cartel gunmen rolled into the border city of Rio Bravo, waiving rifles as they prepared to hunt rivals in what became a day of fierce shootouts.

A video taken by one of the gunmen and shared on social media shows the moment the cartel presumably with the Los Escorpiones (Scorpions) group roll into the city. Rio Bravo is immediately south of the McAllen, Texas, metro area.

“Rio Bravo que onda (what’s up) …. matalos a todos (kill them all), says one of the gunmen as he sticks a black AR-15 rifle out of the window.

The incursion by one faction the Gulf Cartel was part of an ongoing war for territorial control. The group called Los Escorpiones rolled in from Matamoros in armored SUVs to kill key leaders of the rival faction commonly known as Los Metros. When the two factions met throughout the day, terror ensued as the rivals unleashed thousands of rounds of ammunition and explosives on each other.

Information provided to Breitbart Texas by the Tamaulipas government revealed that the gunmen were riding in SUVs with makeshift armor and artillery weapons. Authorities seized 13 armored SUVs, 10 stock vehicles, four grenade launchers, 23 grenades, a Barrett .50 caliber rifle, 23 assault rifles, and machine guns.

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August 15th, 2017 Breaking News Comments Off on Gulf Cartel training camp discovered near Texas border

Gulf Cartel training camp discovered near Texas border

(BREITBART) — MATAMOROS, Tamaulipas — Mexico’s Gulf Cartel managed to build a training camp in this border city with guard towers, walls, drill areas, and a garage for outfitting vehicles with armor plating.

The camp was discovered by the Mexican Army during an enforcement operation in the rural areas southwest of Matamoros. Military personnel received anonymous information about a cartel camp and carried out a series of efforts to locate the training facility, information provided to Breitbart Texas by the Mexican Army revealed. Matamoros is a border city immediately south of Brownsville, Texas.

Cartel forces in Matamoros set up a series of blockades throughout the city to keep soldiers from reaching the camp. By the time that the Mexican army reached the walled facility, cartel gunmen managed to flee leaving behind weapons, tactical gear, armored vehicles, and other items.

The compound was surrounded by a wall and had a concrete guard tower used by lookouts to warn about any approaching rival forces. Inside, authorities found multiple structures including garages, workshops, and target ranges.

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June 21st, 2017 Breaking News Comments Off on Cartel frees teen inmates in Mexican border state

Cartel frees teen inmates in Mexican border state

(BREITBART) — CIUDAD VICTORIA, Tamaulipas — A team of cartel gunmen from one of the factions of Los Zetas rescued eight teenagers serving various prison terms at a juvenile center in the town of Guemez, north of this city.

After beating and threatening detention center officers and staff, two teams of cartel gunmen were able to remove the juvenile inmates. Because the facility is meant to hold underage offenders, the security conditions were no match for the team of gunmen.

The breakout caused a massive deployment of military and police forces to detain the escapees. One day later, authorities claimed they captured two of the fugitives.

An intelligence report revealed that the inmates were busted out under orders of a cartel boss known only as Z-28. The juvenile detention center is just a short drive north from Ciudad Victoria along the highway that connects with the border city of Matamoros.

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April 18th, 2017 Breaking News Comments Off on Cartel violence kills 10 near Texas border

Cartel violence kills 10 near Texas border

(BREITBART) — MATAMOROS, Tamaulipas — A series of recent gun battles and executions in this border city and in Rio Bravo led to nearly a dozen deaths as clashes with military forces and internal turmoil within the Gulf Cartel is reaching a boiling point.

The violence began last week in the Buena Vista neighborhood of Matamoros when cartel gunmen clashed with military and police forces. As usual, the fighting led to blockades, where cartel gunmen hijacked various vehicles to choke chances of police pursuit down main avenues. In Rio Bravo, troops killed several gunmen throughout the city.

The fighting and a series of apparent executions in both Matamoros and Rio Bravo led to the death of several men who are all believed to be part of one of the various factions that make up the Gulf Cartel.

In the downtown area of Matamoros, authorities responded to a local business where they found four men killed. The four cartel members had all been shot in the head execution-style.

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December 2nd, 2016 Breaking News Comments Off on More violence expected as cartel splinters in Northern Mexico

More violence expected as cartel splinters in Northern Mexico

(BREITBART) — CIUDAD VICTORIA

A series of banners hung this week point to yet another split within the Los Zetas cartel and more violence as a result.

As Breitbart Texas has reported, for more than one year, two rival factions of the Los Zetas cartel have been fighting for control of key drug trafficking territories. The violence between the Los Zetas factions called Cartel Del Noreste and Grupo Bravo/Zetas Vieja Escuela has spread terror in this city as shootouts, kidnappings and gory executions have become an almost daily occurrence. The fighting has since spread from the state of Tamaulipas into Nuevo Laredo and Coahuila.

As a result of the fighting, Los Zetas Vieja Escuela recently met in Matamoros to work out a partnership with their former allies in the Gulf Cartel, Breitbart Texas reported. In exchange for using the Gulf Cartel routes, Los Zetas Vieja Escuela would share funds, weapons and manpower.

Most recently, cartel gunmen from Grupo Bravo hung a series of banners throughout Ciudad Victoria announcing an internal split within the cartel faction. The gunmen who hang the banner are now calling themselves Grupo de la O, or the O Group. Mexican law enforcement sources consulted by Breitbart Texas revealed that the name is a reference to jailed Gulf Cartel boss and Los Zetas founder Osiel Cardenas Guillen.

Mexican intelligence sources in Mexico revealed that the Grupo de la O is based out of Matamoros and appears to be made up of relatives of the Cardenas family as well as the Gulf Cartel cells called Cobra, Satan, Puma and Chuta. “Old Cobras” is the nickname used within the Gulf Cartel to refer to each of the original members of the Los Zetas during the time when the two were allies.

The new player fighting for Ciudad Victoria adds another layer to the already bloody fight for the city. Almost every day, citizen journalists or authorities have reported new shootings, gun battles or gruesome executions as the cartel members fight for control.

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November 30th, 2016 Breaking News Comments Off on GRAPHIC VIDEO: Mexican cartel at border preps to incinerate victims’ hacked bodies, plays soccer with head

GRAPHIC VIDEO: Mexican cartel at border preps to incinerate victims’ hacked bodies, plays soccer with head

(BREITBART) — MATAMOROS, Tamaulipas — A leaked video obtained by the Breitbart Texas shows a crew of Gulf Cartel gunmen preparing to incinerate dozens of murdered victims. They are also seen playing soccer with a human head.

The incineration of victims is a long standing practice that allows the criminal organization to avoid scrutiny as well as help Mexican government officials continue to claim low crime statistics.

In the leaked video, a man holding a cell phone claims to be part of the Gulf Cartel and that the group is cooking “rats” or rivals members. The man appears to be holding a beer on the other hand as he narrates in Spanish the fate of their rivals.

In the background of the video, various other cartel members can be seen punching holes in 55-gallon drums and placing rocks and body parts inside. One of the men then asks for a “spark” referring to a lighter. The man with the cell phone then begins to kick the head of one of a murder victim as if it were a soccer ball. Another is heard stating that in a village, Los Zetas members had played soccer with the severed heads of children.

The date and the location of the video remains unknown, however the method of incinerating the victims remains the same throughout Mexico. “Cooking” is a term used to describe the incineration of bodies by cartel members. The murdered victims are hacked into pieces and placed either in clandestine crematoriums or in 55-gallon drums where they are set on fire. The practice of cooking victims not only helps cartels minimize scrutiny but also helps Mexican officials claim that crime continues to decrease since incinerated victims are not counted as murders. According to Mexican officials, without a body, it remains a missing persons case.

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