Mexican officials are trying to cover up a home explosion that killed three members of a border state law enforcement agency. Authorities blame an accidental gas leak, however, the Sinaloa Cartel is now claiming credit for the blast.
The explosion occurred early Wednesday in an upper-middle-class residential part of Saltillo, Coahuila. Three agents with the Coahuila Attorney General’s Office assigned security duties died and three more were injured. Almost immediately, officials pushed a gas leak theory.
Hours later, self-identified members of the Sinaloa Cartel shared on social media a statement claiming credit as an effort to target corrupt officials known to inhibit their operations. In the message, they also referred to dirty cops as “Coahuila’s Government Cartel.”
The message claimed that the attack and future ones are not intended for average citizens. They also claim Coahuila will be taken over by Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.
The message calls out three top state police officials by their nicknames and Coahuila AG Gerardo Marquez. Those mentioned are Hector “El Jaguar” Flores Rodriguez, Miguel “El Hummer” Barajas Hernandez, and a third individual identified as “Commander Boxer.” Breitbart Texas previously reported on Jaguar and Hummer’s cartel ties and how the two had been the target of a federal police probe in 2013.
Coahuila Attorney General Gerardo Marquez spoke to local news outlets and held to the gas leak explanation. The official also claimed that criminal groups claim credit for shocking incidents as a way to create fear.
Breitbart Texas spoke with Rich Roth, a retired Secret Service agent with extensive explosives training, who continues to work in the security field. Roth analyzed the video from the blast and various photographs taken by Breitbart Texas and others that were shared with this outlet by law enforcement sources.
According to Roth, the explosion was a fuel vapor blast, however, in his assessment taking in the context of the evidence, the blast was targeted.
“Basically, the walls were pushed out and the cement slabs collapsed,” Roth said. “The limited-to-no damage of the next-door buildings would point to low power as well. A high-powered blast would have broken up the slabs at that close proximity.”
While gas explosions could be accidental, it is also a way to cover up killings and targeted attacks. Roth stated that the targeted security detail must have been under surveillance, something that suggests planning and execution by trained individuals.
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.
“C.E.Herrera” and “J.M. Martinez” from Breitbart Texas Cartel Chronicles’ project contributed to this report.
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