Cartel Chronicles: Three Separate Grenade Attacks in Mexican Border City

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 — Organized crime groups continue to intimidate the citizens of this border city with three separate grenade attacks in a matter of days. Two of the grenades were thrown at government buildings, while the most recent incident this past weekend caused panic, as a grenade was left behind at a local flea market adjacent to a federal courthouse.

The most recent episode in the wave of violence afflicting Matamoros took place Sunday morning at the La Gran Pulga flea market, located on Pedro Cardenas, one of main boulevards in the city, and just across the street from a large shopping mall.

The explosive device was left behind in a parking area next to the front gate, only a few feet away from the federal courthouse in that city. The flea market attracts a large number of shoppers on weekends who are usually looking for bargain electronics and used items. Fortunately, the grenade did not detonate.

As Breitbart Texas previously reported, in just a matter of days, grenades have been thrown at the entrance of INE (National Electoral Institute) and the front gate of the PFP (Federal Police) in this city.

In response to the attack, authorities deployed various law enforcement agencies, including civil protection authorities and federal agencies, to establish a safety perimeter at the flea market.

The Tamaulipas government issued out a short news release that confirmed the grenade attack, as well as the safe removal of said device. Authorities spent more than two hours working to safely deactivate the grenade and remove it from the shopping area.

Such terrifying events continue to spread panic among Matamoros residents, who must go about their daily business despite the constant threat of violence.

While in recent months the border cities of Matamoros and Reynosa have been the scene of much cartel violence, the reason for the grenade attacks remains unknown. Concerns that the attacks could have an intimidating result on upcoming federal and state elections have been raised.