A series of banners hung throughout the Mexican border city of Reynosa have raised the eyebrows of many residents, and apparently point to a Gulf Cartel commander assuming control of a local crime factions.
The banners, which were hung along major overpasses earlier this week before getting taken down by authorities, are addressed to both the public in general and Mexican authorities. In the banners, the Gulf Cartel claims to be concerned about the rise in thefts, robberies, extortion and kidnapping.
The banner urges residents to call 066 and 099, which are Mexico’s version of the 911 system, to file reports about such crimes. The message ends with the Gulf Cartel claiming it is not responsible for the crime wave, with a signature from Comandante Toro and the Los Metros faction of the Gulf Cartel.
As Breitbart Texas previously reported, Comandante Toro was a ranking figure within the Los Metros faction of the Gulf Cartel. After the arrest of the previous boss, known as El Gafe, he has assumed control of the area.
Since February, as reported by Breitbart Texas, the Los Metros faction of the Gulf Cartel has been at war with the Los Ciclones faction in Matamoros, leading to regular firefights, gruesome executions, and cartel road blockades along the main highways in the region.
As a result of the constant fighting, the Mexican government has increased the presence of military and federal police forces in the area, and begun cracking down on cartel activity, including their radio networks and their high-tech camera surveillance system.
That push, added to increased law enforcement activity on the Texas side, have made smuggling activity more difficult, pushing drug and human smugglers to petty crime on the U.S. side of the border. Breitbart Texas has reported in the past about how cartel activity has been affected by the lack of funds, forcing cartel operatives to resort to petty crime in Mexico.
Follow Ildefonso Ortiz on Twitter and on Facebook.