Mexican authorities announced the rescue of five Venezuelan migrants who were kidnapped as part of a group of 31 passengers riding a bus in the border state of Tamaulipas. Cartel gunmen from the Gulf Cartel boarded a bus and kidnapped the migrants.
The rescue occurred in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, near the 30-kilometer marker along the highway connecting Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, with Matamoros, Tamaulipas. According to the Tamaulipas government, police forces spotted a Ford Fusion attempting to drive away. The vehicle sped off, and shortly after, two men got out and ran away. Inside the vehicle, authorities found five Venezuelan migrants who claimed to have been on a bus that had been intercepted by gunmen and taken by force.
The rescue comes after authorities were forced to confirm that over the weekend, Gulf Cartel gunmen stopped a bus and forced 36 of its passengers off. From there, the gunmen took 31 passengers, who are believed to all be migrants that were headed for the border city of Matamoros, Breitbart Texas reported.
The kidnapping took place on Saturday night near Nuevo Progreso, Tamaulipas, when bus #9570 from the Senda company was traveling from Monterrey to Matamoros.
Tamaulipas authorities tried to downplay the incident as a way to avoid acknowledging the raging cartel violence that has been plaguing the state. Due to widespread corruption at the highest levels, the Gulf Cartel has been able to operate with almost complete impunity as they work to expand their territories. The cartels continue to control the trafficking of drugs, migrants, and stolen fuel.
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.