EXCLUSIVE: Cartel-Connected Mexican Official Escapes Arrest in Helicopter With No Tail Number

A cartel-connected Mexican official who was the target of a police operation evaded arrest by flying away in an unregistered helicopter with no tail numbers. During the escape, cartel members called a series of bomb threats to various government buildings including a school and a hospital leading to the death of two patients.

The incident took place earlier this month in the city of Mante, Tamaulipas. Breitbart Texas traveled to the region to investigate the high-profile escape covered up by government officials.

On December 1, the day of the escape, Gulf Cartel associates called four locations claiming there was a bomb in each building and it was going to go off. One of the buildings was a government-run clinic called Family Medicine Unit 24. A second building was the main IMSS hospital. A third building was the Mante City Hall. And, a fourth building was a local school called CBTIS which had 1,800 students inside.

Law enforcement sources revealed to Breitbart Texas due to the bomb threat, authorities evacuated all of the buildings, including the hospital which had 101 patients at the time. Two of the patients died during the evacuation.

Two hours after the initial call, a helicopter without any identifying tail markings landed in an area called Irrigation Park next to some soccer fields and 30 yards away from the water district offices.

Breitbart Texas obtained an exclusive cell phone video capturing the moment the unregistered helicopter landed. Moments later, Carlos Santiago Gonzalez, the current head of the local water district and the target of a police investigation can be seen walking to and climbing into the helicopter as it takes off towards the border city of Matamoros.

At the time of the bomb threats, agents with the Tamaulipas Attorney General’s Office were in Ciudad Mante trying to serve a warrant against Santiago Gonzalez. He became the head of the water district just last month. Government officials have since covered up the helicopter escape and have downplayed the issue as simple bomb threats.

Law enforcement sources consulted by Breitbart Texas revealed that former water board president Juan Francisco Leal Guerra was forced to resign after serving only one year after receiving threats from the Matamoros faction of the Gulf Cartel.

Santiago Gonzalez, the new water district president is the current target of an ongoing corruption investigation by the Tamaulipas Attorney General’s Office and is currently a wanted fugitive. While Santiago Gonzalez is alleged to have government protection from the current administration, the Tamaulipas AG’s Office operates independently from governor Americo Villarreal.

Gonzalez is the son-in-law of Jorge Luis Chabrand Saenz a businessman who law enforcement sources identified as being tied to the Matamoros faction of the Gulf Cartel, primarily in their fuel theft operations. He allegedly funneled millions into Morena political party for the recent gubernatorial campaigns. As Breitbart Texas reported, Mexico’s Gulf Cartel threatened voters in Tamaulipas into supporting Villarreal’s campaign.

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.