A team of gunmen ambushed, kidnapped, and killed two federal agents who were in the middle of a stakeout in Central Mexico.

The murder took place on Thursday night in Cuernavaca, Morelos, a once peaceful region that in recent months has become a hotspot as rival cartels and kidnapping gangs fight for control of the region.

Ismael Ruiz Rodriguez, 43, and Williams De La Cruz Chong, 46, two agents with Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office (FGR), had been carrying out a stakeout in the northern part of the city when the attack took place. Law enforcement sources revealed to Breitbart Texas that the agents were working to arrest a businessman that had been the target of an organized crime investigation. Authorities have not yet determined which criminal organization is behind the double murder.

For the attack, an SUV with several gunmen ambushed the two agents and began shooting at them with AR-15 rifles. During that attack, Ruiz Rodriguez sustained several gunshot wounds and died almost immediately. Authorities found 28 casings for .223 caliber bullets around the Chevy Aveo that the two investigators were driving. Inside the vehicle, authorities also found De La Cruz’s police credentials. The gunmen then kidnapped a wounded Cruz and left his body in the back of the white SUV they used for the attack. The gunmen also left two rifles next to the body.

The murder comes just over a month after a team of gunmen killed Cuernavaca Police Chief Juan David Juárez López as he was eating at a local restaurant.

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.     

Tony Aranda from Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project contributed to this report