A Mexican border state governor used the phrase “narco-terrorists” to refer to a faction of Los Zetas Cartel, which is responsible for extensive violence in the city of Nuevo Laredo. The municipality is considered one of the busiest commercial land crossings in North America.
During a news conference in Nuevo Laredo as part of events celebrating the start of the Mexican Revolution, Tamaulipas Governor Francisco Cabeza de Vaca called the tactics used by the Cartel Del Noreste (CDN) faction of Los Zetas “narco-terrorism.”
Last week, Los Zetas-CDN carried out several attacks on military forces and Tamaulipas state police, leading to several days of shootouts and blockades in Nuevo Laredo. The intensity of violence forced the local U.S. Consulate to issue a security alert warning locals to avoid visiting the border city abutting Laredo, Texas.
“Those actions that we saw a few days ago–the blockades where they used vehicles and they also used citizens as shields–were acts of direct violence against the citizens–” Cabeza de Vaca said, “that is narco-terrorism and the government needs to address it as such.”
The governor’s statement stands in direct contrast with the rhetoric pushed by Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who declared the war on drugs “over” and committed to not “fighting fire with fire.” The government of Lopez Obrador recently earned worldwide criticism after authorities arrested and released one of the sons of infamous cartel boss Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. The release followed the Sinaloa Cartel’s threats to kill innocent civilians, such as military wives and children, if their demands were not met.
“We are not going to block the sun with one finger,” the Tamaulipas governor said. “What we saw (in Nuevo Laredo) were the actions of criminals that want to spread chaos and panic through violence, fear, and terror. That behavior is ‘narco-terrorism’ and it is a very delicate topic that needs to be addressed accordingly.”
The border state leader said the true enemies of Mexico were the few who try to submit Nuevo Laredo with violence, kidnappings, and other tactics to protect their trafficking businesses.
“There are many more good people in Nuevo Laredo who wish for a better future than a few mediocre cowards who use armed violence,” the governor charged.
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.