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 Rio Bravo’s “ME Martinez.”
REYNOSA, Tamaulipas — The kidnapping and likely execution of 10 persons-two of which were cops by the Gulf Cartel at a family party in this border city has resulted in a series of betrayals and twists that illustrate the crime syndicates reach. A Mexican cop, suspected of involvement in the plot, died after being interrogated by police.
The kidnapping took place on August 29 in the Bugambilias neighborhood during the birthday party of the granddaughter of an officer with the Fuerza Tamaulipas (state police task force). For the kidnapping, a crew of Gulf Cartel gunmen arrived at the party forced everyone inside their vehicles. Two of the attendees at the party have been identified only as Alfredo and Pablo, both members of the Fuerza Tamaulipas police force.
The kidnapping appears to be retribution against the state police force which in recent months has been delivering a series of heavy blows to the Gulf Cartel. The kidnapping came days after Fuerza Tamaulipas officers arrested a man called “Betito” who is the nephew of Reynosa plaza boss Juan Manuel “Comandante Toro” Loiza Salinas.
The cartel boss’ relative never set foot in jail since a backdoor deal was made to secure his release and the man was able to get the names of the officers behind his capture.
The kidnapping investigation was handled very quietly by Tamaulipas authorities who sent a team of investigators to Reynosa to track down the victims. On September 9, the team of investigators took officer Benito Garcia Medina at around 8 a.m. to the headquarters in Reynosa for an apparent questioning.
Roughly an hour later, Garcia Medina was placed in an ambulance and rushed to a local hospital where he later died from apparent injuries sustained during an interrogation.
Information leaked to Cartel Chronicles points to Medina being tortured during the interrogation. He was suspected of having taken part in the kidnapping of his colleagues. The information points to the Gulf Cartel having infiltrated Fuerza Tamaulipas, one of the agencies that had been at the forefront of arrests and raids against organized crime.
In recent weeks, the Gulf Cartel has held protests in Reynosa calling for the removal of the Fuerza Tamaulipas claiming the police force is abusive towards the community, Breitbart Texas reported.
The arrest of two key cartel members may further shed light into the kidnapping. On September 17, authorities arrested a man known as El Comanche who is one of Loiza Salinas’ top guards and is believed to have taken part in the kidnapping.
Authorities also arrested a man known as El Compadre who ran the Las Cumbres neighborhood and looked after the interests of former cartel boss El Simple who was arrested in April 2014.