Cartel Gunmen Dump Four Bodies near South Korean Plant in Mexican Border City

A group of cartel gunmen left four bodies inside a truck in the border city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas, in an area near a manufacturing plant from the South Korean company LG.

The violent crime took place on Sunday morning in the eastern part of Reynosa when authorities responded to a call about bodies inside a black Ford Ranger truck. Tamaulipas state police forces rushed to the scene and blockaded the area.

The gunmen had parked the truck under an overpass that is directly outside of the LG Electronics plant in Reynosa and covered the bodies with tarps.

Authorities did not report finding any threatening banners or posterboards at the crime scene. The gunmen tied up the four bodies, which showed signs of torture. The victims had been shot execution-style.

Investigators who spoke with Breitbart Texas revealed that the crime is likely linked to an ongoing turf war between rival factions of the Gulf Cartel.

The Metros faction based in Reynosa has been fighting off attacks from the Escorpiones faction based in Matamoros. However, the Escorpiones control the city of Rio Bravo, which is just a short drive east of Reynosa.

While the most recent crime appears to be cartel-related, the area being fought over by the rival factions is near multiple industrial parks with numerous international factories and manufacturing plants. It remains unclear if the ongoing violence will affect international businesses in the long term.

As Breitbart Texas has reported, the turf war has turned the area between the two cities into a dangerous spot where shootouts, carjackings, and the use of explosives have become common as both sides have been using drones to drop IEDs and placing landmines on dirt roads to keep rivals out.

Tamaulipas law enforcement sources who spoke to Breitbart Texas revealed that Mexico’s National Guard and Mexican Army have avoided clashing with cartel forces, leaving all of the fighting to state police forces. Additionally, federal forces have not been raiding cartel stash houses or targeting cartel leadership, with the Tamaulipas Attorney General’s Office being the only group that has carried out any raids.

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.