Mexican Governor to AMLO: ‘Race Against Time’ to Fight Cartels

The governor of a Mexican border state is publicly calling out his federal government and is requesting a meeting with President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) over inaction from national police and military forces against violent cartels.

In a letter sent this week, Tamaulipas Governor Francisco Cabeza de Vaca claimed his state was in “a race against time” to confront the rising threat of criminal organizations and the ongoing migrant crisis in Mexico. “I don’t see the support of federal security institutions in fighting organized crime,” Cabeza de Vaca said shortly after sending his letter. “It is the state police who is fighting them.”

The letter comes after the border cities of Nuevo Laredo and Miguel Aleman saw fierce battles where gunmen from the Cartel Del Noreste (CDN) faction of Los Zetas used armored trucks with mounted machine guns, grenade launchers, .50 caliber rifles, and other explosive devices to spread terror throughout the region. Tamaulipas state police are at a tactical disadvantage since they only have their duty-issued weapons and do not have access to heavy artillery or helicopters. In the letter, Cabeza De Vaca requests a meeting with AMLO to work out the security improvements needed in Tamaulipas.

Last week, a group of CDN gunmen carried out a surprise attack at the hotel where Tamaulipas state police officers were staying. The officers were tasked with setting up a series of checkpoints to limit the movement of gunmen in the region. A Tamaulipas official revealed to Breitbart Texas that at the time of the attack, authorities called for backup, however, it took 1 hour and 20 minutes for the Mexican Army to arrive and secure the perimeter. The same source also revealed that in each of the recent shootouts in Nuevo Laredo and Miguel Aleman, the Mexican Army, Navy and federal police were missing in action until after the fighting ended.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com. 

Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.