Border Violence

A group of neighbors in the border city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas, brutally beat a man that they allegedly caught breaking into a home. The mob beat the man, and they tied him to a light pole before calling first responders. The man died shortly after from the injuries sustained.

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.

Mexico’s Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero announced that a Mexican federal judge is the target of a corruption investigation after he ordered the release of one of the top leaders of the Gulf Cartel. 

Federal authorities identified an illegal fishing operation used by the Gulf Cartel that doubles as a human smuggling and drug trafficking scheme.

Cartel gunmen continue carrying out targeted killings, engaging in shootouts, and setting up highway blockades with complete impunity. At the same time, government officials in the Mexican states of Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon try to deny the violence, claiming it is all mass hysteria.

A group of Gulf Cartel gunmen set fire to a state police armored vehicle after a violent shootout just south of the Texas border. The gunmen outnumbered and outgunned a squad of police officers. The officers were forced to run away after military and federal police forces (National Guard) refused to answer their calls for help.

Un grupo de pistoleros del Cártel del Golfo prendió fuego a un vehículo blindado de la policía estatal después de un violento tiroteo al sur de la frontera con Texas, donde superaban en número y armamento a un escuadrón de estatales. Los oficiales se vieron obligados a huir después de que las fuerzas militares y de la Guardia Nacional se negaran a responder a sus llamadas de ayuda.

A former special forces police officer in the state of Tamaulipas switched sides and became a cell leader within the Gulf Cartel. Most recently, the cop turned drug lord was behind most of the violence in the central part of Tamaulipas, particularly in the cities of Jimenez, Abasolo, and Soto La Marina.

Mexican military forces clashed with Gulf Cartel gunmen in the border city of Rio Bravo, Tamaulipas. The clashes come after months of military forces avoiding direct conflict with gunmen. The shift in strategy comes after Gulf Cartel gunmen began using drones to drop explosive devices on rival gunmen and police forces in areas just south of the Texas border.

The Gulf Cartel silenced local news outlets in the border city of Matamoros, telling reporters the murder of one of its longtime lieutenants would trigger violent consequences if made public.

A group of cartel gunmen kidnapped a Mexican border state senator and held him for hours, highlighting the control that criminal organizations continue to have in the state of Tamaulipas. The case details remain unknown, but relatives confirmed that the politician was home by Saturday morning. Unofficial information points to the gunmen releasing the politician, who made his way to a nearby house where he asked for help.

A Gulf Cartel lieutenant faces charges for his alleged role in a 2021 shootout that killed 14 innocent bystanders. The local organized crime boss was also accused of numerous kidnappings in various border cities in Tamaulipas. 

Local college students ran for cover as cartel gunmen clashed with Tamaulipas state police forces near a university campus in the Mexican border city of Matamoros.

Mexican border state police forces killed 11 cartel gunmen during a series of shootouts where gunmen sought to terrorize locals. The shootouts took place in the Mexican border state of Nuevo Leon.

A gunman slapped and tried to beat up a top Gulf Cartel lieutenant, blaming him for his imminent capture after state authorities found them. Police found them, along with several other men, as they were drinking and smoking marijuana in a safehouse not far from the border with Texas.

Several cities throughout Mexico have been forced to cancel their traditional Independence Day celebration due to widespread cartel violence.

A former border state governor in Mexico is lashing out at current authorities in Tamaulipas over their attempted coverup of a case where suspected cartel gunmen tried to take his son who was driving along a highway. The former governor claimed that the current state government has worked hand in hand with drug cartels, and the growing crime and lawlessness in the region is a reflection of that.

Authorities in Mexico arrested a top leader of the Cartel Del Noreste faction of Los Zetas. The arrest comes as that criminal organization has been linked to numerous disappearances and mass killings with considerable impunity.

Speculation is running wild on both sides of the border following the release from prison of a man once known as the supreme leader of the Gulf Cartel and founder of Los Zetas. Some individuals were expecting him to return to his hometown and reclaim the reigns of his criminal organization. Others claimed he would stay in the U.S. under witness protection. The issue caused widespread speculation and rumors to spread like wildfire.

Las autoridades del estado fronterizo de Tamaulipas confirmaron el descubrimiento de dos lugares utilizados por sicarios de los cárteles para matar e incinerar los restos de sus víctimas. Los crematorios de los cárteles y las fosas clandestinas se han vuelto algo común en varias partes de México, ya que las organizaciones criminales tratan de evitar la atención al no dejar cuerpos, algo que también permite a los funcionarios del gobierno ocultar los niveles de violencia al dar carpetazo a la mayoría de los casos como personas desaparecidas en lugar de asesinatos o secuestros.

Government officials in Mexico have been working to portray an image of peace in the border state of Tamaulipas by using doctored crime stats and making misleading statements to news outlets. In reality, several drug cartels have been waging fierce turf wars throughout the state. The violence rose exponentially in recent weeks as drug cartels have become more brazen.

Two gunmen tried to kidnap the father of a Mexican border city mayor and then shot at him as the gunmen tried to escape. The attack comes as Tamaulipas state officials continue to claim that the region is safe despite several recent high-profile kidnappings.

Authorities in Mexico confirmed the disappearance of a U.S. citizen from Iowa who had been missing for several days after crossing the border. The disappearance comes at a time when government officials continue to claim that security conditions have been improving. However, criminal organizations like the Gulf Cartel can operate with almost complete impunity.

State police officers could not assist a group of fellow cops under fire during a series of large-scale deadly attacks by cartel gunmen because their vehicles did not have enough fuel.

A group of gunmen shot and killed a business leader in the border city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas. The businessman gained national notoriety for being very outspoken about cartel extortions, crime, violence, and the widespread corruption in the border state of Tamaulipas.

One of Mexico’s largest chains of convenience stores closed all of its locations in the Mexican border city of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, following a series of threats from the terrorist organization Cartel Del Noreste faction of Los Zetas. The mass closing of almost 200 stores comes as the Tamaulipas government remains impotent against the various drug cartels that rule over the state.

In yet another resounding example of the Mexican government’s inability to protect its citizens, a family in the border city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas, was forced to pay the Gulf Cartel approximately $40,000 USD for the release of their loved one. Government authorities could not help in the case, as relatives and activists were forced to plea to the dominant criminal organizations in the region to help.

En otro ejemplo contundente de la incapacidad del gobierno de México para proteger a sus ciudadanos, una familia en la ciudad fronteriza de Reynosa se vio obligada a pagar al Cártel del Golfo aproximadamente 40.000 dólares por la liberación de su ser querido. Las autoridades gubernamentales no pudieron ayudar en el caso, y los familiares y activistas se vieron obligados a pedir ayuda a las organizaciones criminales que gobiernan la región.

The U.S. Department of State issued a new travel alert about cartel gunmen kidnapping American passengers from buses traveling through the border city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas. The advisory comes even after Mexican border state officials dismissed a prior alert claiming the region has minimal crime statistics.

Mexican authorities arrested a former U.S. soldier who had allegedly been building explosives for the Gulf Cartel just south of the Texas border. The arrest had been kept largely under wraps as federal authorities built up the case against him,

Mexican government officials publicly rejected a recent travel warning issued by the U.S. Department of State in the border city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas. The warning advised U.S. citizens not to travel by bus, citing targeted kidnappings of American citizens and residents in the neighboring border city of Reynosa. Mexican officials continue to claim the border region is safe, even though the region is under the control of the Gulf Cartel and continues to go through a hyperviolent turf war.

Border Patrol agents in Blythe, California, arrested a California man and his 17-year-old brother after a service K-9 alerted the agents to the presence of a large cache of semi-automatic rifles in their vehicle. In total, agents seized 25 AK-style rifles, two handguns, and ammunition magazines on Wednesday in Blythe, California. Jose Palma Almendariz and his teenage brother now face federal charges related to Wednesday’s firearms and magazine seizure.

Authorities in Mexico rescued 13 Central American migrants who had been kidnapped and were being tortured by their captors to force families to pay ransom for their release.

The son of a Gulf Cartel operator who helped run a large-scale operation in Texas will spend two and a half years in federal prison for trying to intimidate federal agents. The agents were hunting for his father and potential witnesses against him.

A mayoral candidate in the border city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, canceled her final campaign event after a recording artist headlining her event received a series of threats believed to come from the Gulf Cartel.

Gulf Cartel gunmen ambushed a squad of police officers, killing two, in a Mexican border city that Tamaulipas government officials claim is safe. The killing comes after a full day of cartel blockades and shootouts that spread terror among locals.