Mexican authorities remain tight-lipped about a weekend raid in the border city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, targeting the son of a top regional Gulf Cartel boss. The quietness behind the raid led locals to speculate if the move could be an attempt to negotiate a deal in order to stop the recent turf war between rival factions of the Gulf Cartel plaguing the border region.
The raid took place early Sunday morning when a large deployment of military forces blocked the entrances to the city. At the same time, a group surrounded an upscale gated community called Victoria Oriente. Two military helicopters flew over the gated community for hours providing air support. No shots were fired during the operation.
Inside that community, soldiers knocked down the large metal gate at Victoria Oriente and raided the first house on the left which law enforcement sources revealed to Breitbart Texas is owned by Jose Alfredo “El Contador” Cardenas Martinez — the jailed leader of the Matamoros faction of the Gulf Cartel. Law enforcement sources also revealed that the raid’s target was Alan Cardenas, one of El Contador’s sons.
Currently, El Contador is in a Mexican federal prison facing organized crime charges. He is also fighting his extradition to the U.S. where he faces multiple drug trafficking charges.
Days after the raid, authorities have not released any information about Alan’s detention or items seized at the house. The house remains sealed under military guard. Law enforcement sources pointed to a move by government officials to pressure El Contador to negotiate an end to a recently reignited turf war with the Reynosa faction of the Gulf Cartel also known as Los Metros.
As Breitbart Texas reported, both factions went to war late last month in a series of clashes throughout the state that spread much fear among locals. While most of the fighting has taken place along highways and rural roads and not inside cities, the turf war led to locals seeing convoys of dozens of SUVs with cartel gunmen and some armored vehicles moving around border cities on their way to the shootouts.
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 “J.A. Espinoza” from Tamaulipas.
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