A convoy of Gulf Cartel gunmen clashed with Tamaulipas state police in fierce shootouts near the airport. State authorities managed to arrest three gunmen and seize one vehicle, however, federal forces did not respond as backup until the scene was already secured.

The fierce shootout took place last week when a large convoy of gunmen traveling from Soto La Marina to Ciudad Victoria met state police near the capital airport. The convoy split along dirt roads to avoid capture. Tamaulipas police chased the gunmen and asked for federal backup.

Law enforcement sources revealed to Breitbart Texas that military forces did not respond and National Guard arrived once the fighting ended.

State authorities managed to arrest three gunmen identified as 21-year-old Osiel Jonatan Ocaña Carreón, 37-year-old  Jose Cuevas Santos, and 34-year-old Jose Angel Carrera Hernández from Matamoros.

Authorities also seized three rifles and drug baggies with logos identifying them with the Escorpion cell of the Gulf Cartel.

In its origin, the Scorpions were former police officers and soldiers who became the personal guard of top Gulf Cartel Boss Antonio Ezekiel “Tony Tormenta” Cardenas Guillen prior to his death in 2010. Since then, the Scorpions had largely disappeared until recently when they resurfaced as the armed wing of the Ciclones faction of the Gulf Cartel in Matamoros.

In recent weeks, the Scorpions have been pushing into Soto La Marina and Ciudad Victoria due largely to the inaction of federal and state officials.

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 their original Spanish. This article was written by “Francisco Morales” and “J.C. Sanchez” from Tamaulipas.