Mexican soldiers killed 12 gunmen suspected of being part of the Gulf Cartel during a fierce shootout in the city of Miguel Aleman, Tamaulipas, just south of the border with Texas. Despite almost daily shootouts or violent incidents Tamaulipas state officials claim that the region is safe and encourage highway travel.
The shootout took place on Sunday afternoon just south of Miguel Aleman at a ranch that the Gulf Cartel had stolen from their owners to set up a camp for their troops. According to information released by the Tamaulipas government, the shooting took place when a group of Mexican soldiers were patrolling the region and came under fire from gunmen hiding in the brush.
Law enforcement sources revealed to Breitbart Texas that the military forces came up to a horse riding venue near the Loma Linda neighborhood when the gunmen began shooting. The military forces sought cover and called for backups. Authorities used a drone and a military helicopter to respond and help the troops fight off the gunmen killing 12 of them, including two women. The gunmen were all wearing tactical gear and body armor. After the shootout, authorities seized several weapons and ammunition.
The shooting as the state of Tamaulipas has seen a dramatic rise in cartel violence since the arrival of the current governor Americo Villarreal, who, as Breitbart Texas reported, had the Gulf Cartel fund and promote his campaign.
Rather than openly fight drug cartels, Villarreal’s administration has sought to deny cartel violence claiming that the region is safe. The state’s spokesman Jorge Cuellar openly claimed that Tamaulipas suffers from public image perception caused by fake news pushed by political rivals. Cuellar has a history of denying shootouts and other incidents of cartel violence in an attempt to minimize the perception of violence.
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.