Several police supervisors and officers in the border state of Tamaulipas are stonewalling an investigation into the murder and incineration of 19 victims, including 16 Central American migrants, in January. While authorities have already arrested 12 officers, as many as 20 more are suspected of playing a role in covering up the massacre.
In January, three human smugglers were moving a group of 16 Guatemalans from Nuevo Leon to the border city of Camargo when Tamaulipas state police officers allegedly killed them and set fire to the bodies. One of the current theories is that the officers mistook the convoy for Gulf Cartel gunmen. After, the officers doctored the scene to create the appearance of a cartel-on-cartel battle. Since then, authorities arrested 12 police officers on murder and other charges.
However, Breitbart Texas learned two officers remain at large, and at least 20 more (including supervisors) are under investigation for physically helping at the scene.
Breitbart Texas spoke with U.S. law enforcement officials in Mexico who are briefed on the investigation. The sources say local authorities uncovered widespread police corruption, indicating a working relationship with organized crime.
Though the investigation is ongoing, authorities are having a hard time making progress since key supervisors are allegedly withholding evidence or blocking interviews. Some of the officers are believed to have helped doctor the crime scene by picking up dozens of bullet casings so they could not be traced to police weapons.
Tamaulipas Public Security Secretary José Jorge Ontiveros Molina has largely ignored the situation despite his access to relevant information, sources say.
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.
Gerald “Tony” Aranda is an international journalist with more than 20 years of experience working in high-risk areas for print and broadcast news outlets investigating organized crime, corruption, and drug trafficking in the U.S. and Mexico. In 2016, Gerald took up the pseudonym of “Tony” when he joined Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project. Since then, he has come out of the shadows and become a contributing writer for Breitbart Texas.
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