A fierce turf war between various organizations including the Sinaloa Cartel has turned the Monterrey suburb of Escobedo into a bloody battleground. In recent weeks, the town has seen roughly 40 cartel-related murders with little government interference.
Located on the north side of the Monterrey Metro, Escobedo is approximately 120 miles south of the border city of Nuevo Laredo. Rolling shootouts, drive-by shootings, attacks at house parties, dismembered bodies, and other gory tactics have led to 38 murders in September and October.
Law enforcement sources consulted by Breitbart Texas say the main cause for violence is a turf war between the Cartel Del Noreste faction of Los Zetas, the Gulf Cartel, and the Sinaloa Cartel — which is considered a newcomer in Nuevo Leon. Since Escobedo is on the route to Nuevo Laredo, the CDN-Los Zetas have been trying to hold region despite offensive maneuvers from the Sinaloa Cartel.
Earlier this year, authorities arrested Alan “El Cano” Ervey, the leader of a cell of gunmen with the Sinaloa Cartel. Authorities also managed to arrest seven of his men. Following the arrest, authorities were able to find a clandestine mass grave approximately 500 yards from Escobedo City Hall.
Some of the most recent killings include a double murder, where two men died inside their vehicle near city hall.
On October 9, unknown gunmen left a male victim with a severed head on the south side of the city. The gunmen placed the body next to a cartel message with threats written on a poster board.
On September 24, Nuevo Leon authorities found the dismembered remains of five victims stuffed in a Jeep Cherokee. The remains included four heads, three torsos, ten arms, three hands, six thighs, four lower legs, and four feet.
That same day, gunmen carried out a driver-by attack outside of the house of local police chief Francisco Martín Coronilla. No casualties were reported.
On September 4, gunmen shot and injured a local police officer at his house.
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 “J.P. De La Garza” from Nuevo Leon