EXCLUSIVE: New Cartel Turf War Ignites in Mexican Border State

A new turf war has reached the border state of Tamaulipas as one of Mexico’s most violent cartels furthers its expansion effort. Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) now seeks turf traditionally belonging to the Gulf Cartel.

Breitbart Texas traveled to Tula, Tamaulipas, near the border with the state of San Luis Potosi to speak with locals. Tula is a short drive south of Ciudad Victoria, making it valuable turf.

Tula has been under the control of a faction of the Gulf Cartel and the regional leader is a former Tamaulipas state police officer known only as “El Tigre.” Law enforcement sources revealed to Breitbart Texas that El Tigre had been part of a Special Operations Group (GOPES) but, months prior, deserted for the Gulf Cartel.

Since early August, CJNG gunmen have carried out incursions into southern Tamaulipas. The CNG has a strong presence in San Luis Potosi and Zacatecas, where it wages turf wars with the Sinaloa Cartel, Gulf Cartel, and factions of Los Zetas.

One of the hardest hit areas is the rural community of El Coronel, where locals suffer shootouts. State authorities also confirmed to Breitbart Texas the discovery of a human head. Unofficial information suggests the head belonged to Sergio “Canelo” Lopez, a leader within the Gulf Cartel.

The violence continued in the following days with shootouts taking place in the town of Lazaro Cardenas and a ranch near Guadalcazar, San Luis Potosi.

By August 16, a new wave of incursions took place leading to shootouts. Locals were forced to lock themselves inside their homes and some recorded the sounds of gunfire.

In one of those shootouts, CJNG gunmen managed to seriously wound a top Gulf Cartel operator named Adan “El Gallito” Garcia, forcing his gunmen to fall back.

The remote region where these clashes took place has hundreds of dirt roads connecting the states of Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosi, and Nuevo Leon. In the past, the region saw a minimal presence by law enforcement. State and federal forces have increased their patrols in recent weeks.

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” and “J.C. Sanchez” from Tamaulipas.