Two gunmen from Mexico’s Gulf Cartel illegally entered Texas after fleeing from a shootout with Mexican authorities. Local police arrested the men as they tried to hide with migrants who crossed the Rio Grande.
The case took place this week in the city of La Joya, where local police stopped seven individuals walking along U.S. Highway 83, according to a public a statement. When authorities spoke with the group, they learned two of the men were Gulf Cartel gunmen.
La Joya Police say the men were part of the “Spartans” cell of the Matamoros faction of the Gulf Cartel. The gunmen were in a recent shootout with Mexican military forces where 17 cartel members died. The two gunmen managed to survive and fled toward Reynosa. Once there, the men paid to be crossed into Texas. The men told police that the Gulf Cartel was looking for them due to desertion. Prior to their crossing, they had been sent to other cities to fight rival factions.
According to information released by U.S. Border Patrol, one of the gunmen was active in the Gulf Cartel for several years and the other was a trainee.
The Matamoros faction of the Gulf Cartel has been clashing with the Metros faction from Reynosa over lucrative drug and human smuggling corridors. Although the rivals entered into a truce over the summer, tensions appear to have reignited in recent weeks.
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.