Cartel gunmen kidnapped and tortured an oil worker in Mexico who was inspecting pipelines in the border states of Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon. The region is currently being fought over by two cartels.
The kidnapping took place earlier this month when Graciano Alejandro Andrade Cantu and other workers from the government-owned oil company Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) were inspecting gas and oil lines when gunmen stopped and forced Andrade into one of their vehicles. The kidnapping took place along the Nuevo Leon-Tamaulipas line when the workers were headed to a natural gas well called “La Culebra or the Snake.” They were driving between the towns of Doctor Coss and Arcabuz at the time.
The other workers managed to reach a phone and alert authorities about the kidnapping. The case caused a large-scale deployment of Nuevo Leon State Police, Pemex Security Forces, and soldiers.
After keeping him for longer than 24 hours, the gunmen released Andrade at a dirt road near General Bravo, Nuevo Leon. The victim showed signs of torture but is expected to recover. It remains unclear which cartel performed the kidnapping.
During the search, authorities found trenches and makeshift concrete barriers used by gunmen during shootouts. The region is one of great conflict as the Cartel Del Noreste faction of Los Zetas is actively trying to take control from the Gulf Cartel. This turf war has led to numerous large-scale shootouts where cartels use convoys of armored vehicles.
Editor’s Note: Breitbart Texas traveled to Mexico City and the 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.
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