Five gunmen and one Mexican Army officer died following a brazen cartel ambush on military forces just south of the Texas border.
The shootout took place over the weekend in Nuevo Laredo when soldiers patrolled near the Nueva Era neighborhood on the city’s east side. A convoy of Cartel Del Noreste-Los Zetas gunmen tried to ambush using armored SUVs, .50 caliber rifles, and machine guns.
The Mexican Army fought off the attack in a fierce shootout that spread to nearby neighborhoods as the gunmen tried to escape. Locals recorded and shared the video on social media.
The military forces managed to kill five gunmen. Three of those died near a stolen Ford F-250 with Texas license plates, while the others were inside a house used to hide. One died on the roof while the other was in a bathroom. All five remain unidentified and were wearing military-style uniforms to appear as Mexican Marines. One, who is believed to be between 20 and 23-years-old, had a tattoo on his arm with the message “Escolta Del Senor,” suggesting he was a bodyguard for the leader of the cartel.
After the clash, military forces rushed one of their wounded to a hospital. Despite several hours in surgery, 28-year-old Carlos Javier Chángala Chopal succumbed to his injuries.
The shootout comes one week after the Mexican Army arrested Fernando de Jesus “Comandante Werko” Rodriguez Adame during a clash that killed eight gunmen. Rodriguez Adame was a chief enforcer for the cartel and is related to their current leader.
The CDN-Los Zetas is led by Juan Gerardo “El Huevo” Trevino Chavez. The ruthless criminal organization is behind the recent mass disappearances of at least 100 individuals traveling between Nuevo Laredo and Monterrey.
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.