Border State Cattleman in Mexico Fights off Cartel Kidnappers

A lifelong rancher in the Mexican border state of Tamaulipas fought off a group of cartel gunmen who tried to kidnap him from his home. The case highlights criminal organizations’ control in Mexico due to the complicity of government officials.

The incident took place this week in the city of Rio Bravo, Tamaulipas, where a group of gunmen pulled up to the house of Jose Antonio Camarillo Teran, the leader of the local cattlemen’s association. The gunmen knocked down the front gate to the property and pulled up to the door, allegedly trying to kidnap him. The man’s property is along the Rio Bravo-Reynosa highway, near a road known as Brecha 105. The ranch is not far from a substation of Mexico’s National Guard and various other police and military buildings. Despite this, cartel gunmen can move around the region with complete impunity.

Details of what went on remain unclear. Camarillo Teran managed to barricade himself inside the house and fight off the gunmen until they left. During the confrontation, he sustained some glass and shrapnel injuries but is expected to recover. It remains unclear if any gunmen sustained injuries before fleeing. Mexican authorities have not arrested any of the gunmen in the case.

Camarillo’s shootout with cartel gunmen is eerily similar to the case of Alejo Garza Tamez from Padilla, Tamaulipas, who, in 2010, barricaded himself in his ranch at the age of 77 and died fighting off a group of gunmen from Los Zetas. In that incident, Los Zetas tried to take Garza’s ranch by force, but the rancher died fighting them off using his hunting rifles. By the time military forces arrived, Garza had died. He managed to kill four gunmen and wounded two others.

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.