Cartel Gunmen Kidnap Mexican Border State Cop, Toss into Canal – Alive

A border state Mexican police officer is recovering in a local hospital after a group of cartel gunmen kidnapped him, tortured him, undressed him, and threw him in an irrigation canal.

State law enforcement sources revealed to Breitbart Texas that the incident occurred on Saturday in the border city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas. Local firefighters received a call about a man floating in an irrigation canal who sought help. Emergency personnel rushed to the scene, worked to get the man out of the water, and rushed him to a local hospital.

The officer has been identified as 44-year-old Pedro “N,” an active member of the Tamaulipas state police. He remains at a hospital in Reynosa and is listed in serious condition due to polytrauma. Details of the officer’s kidnapping remain unclear. He appears to have been taken and beaten by a group of gunmen when the officer was off duty.

The current motive being looked at by authorities for the kidnapping is tied to Pedro’s work. The kidnapping comes at a time when gunmen from the Gulf Cartel have killed several police officers in ambush-style attacks, targeted killings, and shootouts. Law enforcement sources who spoke with Breitbart Texas on the condition of anonymity revealed that there is growing tension between the Tamaulipas state police and the National Guard, as well as the Mexican Army, as state cops claim that both federal and military forces have at times abandoned them and not arrived to shootouts to provide backup.

As Breitbart Texas reported last month, Gulf Cartel gunmen from the Escorpiones faction in the city of Rio Bravo used a series of drones to drop explosives on a group of Tamaulipas police officers. Government officials who have tried to downplay the growing violence were forced to admit to the attack and the use of drones. They quickly pointed out that no officers were hurt in that confrontation since they were riding in armored vehicles.

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.