REYNOSA, Tamaulipas — The leader of the Gulf Cartel in this region was able to escape a coordinated attempt by the Mexican military to capture him at a series of stash houses he used. The escape was made possible by the deployment of multiple fake taxi cabs.
The violence began on Wednesday shortly after 4:30 am when Mexican Marines raided a series of stash houses in four separate neighborhoods, which quickly turned into gun battles as cartel men fired at the military and began setting up roadblocks.
Mexican law enforcement officials revealed to Breitbart Texas that Juan Manuel “Toro” Loisa Salinas had been inside one of the raided houses. The house belonged to Loisa’s close associate, Petronilo “Comandante Panilo or M70” Moreno Flores, who was at the house as well.
Under the cover of dozens of fake taxi cabs that took to the streets, the cartel bosses were able to elude capture while gunmen engaged the military forces in a series of battles. During the escape, military forces were able to discern the tactic but not before Loisa and Moreno escaped.
In recent weeks, Mexican Marines have stepped up their efforts in targeting the leadership of the Gulf Cartel. This renewed effort has forced cartel leadership to use taxi cabs instead of flashy SUVs.
Intelligence reports note that the Gulf Cartel has ordered the fake taxis to temporarily cease operations until further notice.
Taxis in Mexican border cities have long been used by cartel members primarily as low profile lookouts who are able to relay timely information without raising suspicion.
Editor’s Note: Breitbart Texas traveled to the Mexican States of Tamaulipas, Coahuila and Nuevo León 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 various cartels that operate in those areas including the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas 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 “A.C. Del Angel” from Reynosa, Tamaulipas.