Two members of the feared Los Zetas Cartel allegedly attempted to bribe Mexican soldiers near the border city of Nuevo Laredo. To their surprise, the soldiers rejected the bribe and arrested them.
A convoy of Mexican soldiers and federal police officers were conducting routine patrols around Nuevo Laredo when they spotted two men in a pickup that “acted in a suspicious manner,” information released to Breitbart Texas by the Tamaulipas government revealed.
The convoy stopped the truck and detained Jose Raul Martinez and Alberto Lopez Vasquez. The men had 200 kilograms of marijuana, as well as machine guns and a box with tire spikes. Once the men were detained they tried to bribe the soldiers, who turned down the bribe and arrested them.
As previously reported by Breitbart Texas, tire spikes are a common tool used by cartel members to slow down authorities during pursuits. The spikes are made by welding nails together to create a device with 6 or 8 points that are thrown on the ground to puncture tires.
Mexican authorities turning down bribes can be seen as a breath of fresh air after a long standing tradition of corruption in that country. As previously reported by Breitbart Texas, Mexican authorities and politicians at the highest levels have been tied to corruption. Two former Tamaulipas governors and various mayors have been tied to cartels and money laundering, with some of them currently fugitives from the U.S. Department of Justice.