NUEVO LAREDO, Tamaulipas – Gunmen from the Cartel Del Noreste faction of Los Zetas hijacked and set fire to several local passenger buses being used as employee transports. While authorities have not revealed a motive, the arson could be linked to the ongoing extortion of businesses in the city.
The incident occurred on Sunday shortly after 11 p.m. when the Tamaulipas Public Safety Secretariat began receiving reports of the “vandalism.” The vehicles all belong to SENDA SA. De C.V., a commercial bus company that also provides employee transport services to and from manufacturing plants. Preliminary information provided to Breitbart Texas by law enforcement sources revealed that convoys of gunmen forced the buses to stop, then forced passengers and drivers to unload at gunpoint before setting the vehicles ablaze.
The incidents occurred in different locations, with one in the Voluntad y Trabajo neighborhood. Others were targeted in Bonito Toboganes, Nuevo Victoria, and El Progreso.
Firefighters rushed to each scene, however, Tamaulipas state authorities were unable to receive statements from the affected company which said it intended to handle the matter internally.
Law enforcement sources consulted by Breitbart Texas revealed that the fires are likely a pressure tactic used by the CDN-Los Zetas to extort money.
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 “Francisco Morales” from Tamaulipas.