Breitbart Texas traveled to the Mexican border cities of Reynosa and Matamoros to recruit citizen journalists willing to risk their lives and expose the cartels silencing their communities. The writers would face certain death at the hands of the Gulf Cartel if a pseudonym were not used. Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles are published in both English and in their original Spanish. This article was written by “JA Espinoza” from Matamoros.
MATAMOROS, Tamaulipas — Violent firefights have once again taken hold along this border area following a renewed firefights between warring factions of the Gulf Cartel and a recent shootout this week between cartel gunmen and the Mexican military.
While authorities remain mum about the shootouts between cartel members, the government of Tamaulipas has provided information about the morning shootout earlier this week where cartel gunmen riding in an armored SUV fired at a military convoy. The gunmen managed to get away along the Reynosa Matamoros highway continuing the wave of violence along this border region.
The military convoy had been patrolling said highway near the border city of Rio Bravo when cartel hitmen attacked members of the Mexican military prompting them to fight off the attack in self-defense.
While the Tamaulipas government has not publicly identified the criminal organization. Since February, the Gulf Cartel has been going through a series of fierce internal battles between two of its factions over territory and control of trafficking and operational areas.
The government provided information that the gunmen had been riding in a black four-door GMC Sierra with makeshift armor when they began firing into the military convoy. The soldiers had been conducting routine patrols when they came under fire. The shootout resulted in the death of one gunman who has not been publicly identified.
The rest of the gunmen managed to get away leaving the armored vehicle behind. Local authorities have not been able to identify the gunmen.
After the shootout, the Mexican soldiers seized seven assault rifles, a Barret .50 caliber rifle and other pieces of tactical equipment.
While authorities don’t acknowledge collateral damage, a delivery truck from the INBOX company, which is part of the Transpais bus lines, was carjacked in Rio Bravo as part of the ongoing violence.
The delivery truck had left the border city with cargo heading towards Matamoros when the carjacking by cartel gunmen took place. The trucks whereabouts remain unknown
Customers lined up outside of the Matamoros office to demand their packages sent from Rio Bravo. Since the cargo never arrived and they must file some paperwork to be reimbursed for their loss.
One of the irate customers said “We are going from bad to worse. The highways are not even safe for documents,”
The customer said the highways remain under the control of cartel gunmen who continue to victimize and intimidate those who must travel along the state’s highways as part of their daily job.