Tamaulipas

Texas Cities Plagued with Mexican Cartel Truck Thefts

The recent federal conviction and sentence of a man who tried to run over an FBI agent while driving a stolen truck into Mexico highlights a growing trend plaguing South Texas. Multiple cities are seeing a rise in the thefts of four-door SUVs and pickups that are taken into Mexico at the request of the Gulf Cartel. The criminal organization uses the trucks in their ongoing turf wars.

A suspect holds a woman at gunpoint in Brownsville during a carjacking. (Credit: Brownsvil

Mexican Judge Releases Cartel Boss Fighting Extradition to U.S.

A Mexican judge with a history of questionable rulings ordered the release of one of the leaders of the Gulf Cartel. The alleged crime boss is fighting a slew of charges and extradition to the U.S. However, thanks to the ruling, he was granted his release on bond. This particular cartel boss has a history of suspicious releases where authorities have dismissed his prior cases on technicalities. He has a pending criminal indictment in the U.S. filed by the Department of Justice.

Gulf Cartel Contador

Los Zetas Faction Leader Behind American Consulate Attack in Mexico Pleads Guilty in U.S. Federal Court

The man responsible for establishing a reign of terror in part of Mexico’s northern border region pleaded guilty to several drug trafficking and money laundering charges in a U.S. federal court. He is facing a possible life term in prison. That cartel boss is not only responsible for ordering hundreds of forced disappearances and establishing clandestine gravesites in northern Mexico but his gunmen are directly linked to a brazen attack on the U.S. Consulate building in Nuevo Laredo.

Mexican military forces move El Huevo after his arrest. (Credit Mexico's National Def

Mexican Cop Turned Gulf Cartel Cell Leader Arrested

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.

Tamaulipas State Guard

Mexican Army Clashes with Gulf Cartel Gunmen After Drone Bombings

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.

Mexican soldiers arrest a Gulf Cartel gunman. (Credit: Breitbart Texas / Cartel Chronicles

Cartel Gunmen Kidnap Mexican Border State Senator

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.

Mexican border state senator Vicente Verastegui. This week, cartel gunmen kidnapped him. (

Former Mexican Governor Lashes Out at Current Officials After Attempted Kidnapping of Son

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.

Tamaulipas Governor

Mexican Activists Discover New Cartel Crematorium near Border with Texas

Authorities in the Mexican border state of Tamaulipas have confirmed the discovery of two separate locations used by cartel gunmen to kill and incinerate the remains of their victims. Cartel crematoriums and clandestine gravesites have become almost commonplace in various parts of Mexico as criminal organizations try to avoid attention by not leaving bodies behind. The disposal of remains also allows government officials to hide the levels of violence by filing most cases as missing persons instead of murders or kidnappings.

Activists search for human remains in a cartel killing field near the border with Texas. (

Colectivo Descubre Nuevo Campo De Exterminio en Tamaulipas

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.

Activists search for human remains in a cartel killing field near the border with Texas. (

Mexican Border State Hiding News of Raging Cartel Violence

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.

Cartel armored truck left behind after a shootout. (Credit: Breitbart Texas / Cartel Chron

Tamaulipas Intenta Minimizar y Esconder la Narcoviolencia

Funcionarios gubernamentales en México han estado trabajando para presentar una imagen pacífica en el estado fronterizo de Tamaulipas falseando estadísticas del crimen y hacienda declaraciones engañosas a los medios de comunicación cuando en realidad, varios cárteles de la droga han estado peleando violentas guerras territoriales a lo largo del estado. La violencia se ha elevado de manera exponencial en semanas recientes y los cárteles de la droga se han vuelto más descarados.

Cartel armored truck left behind after a shootout. (Credit: Breitbart Texas / Cartel Chron

Iowa Woman Missing After Crossing into Mexican Border City

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.

Reynosa Body in Ice Chest

Cierran Casi 200 Oxxos en Nuevo Laredo Por Narco-Violencia

Una de las cadenas de tiendas de conveniencia más grandes de México ha cerrado todas sus sucursales en la ciudad fronteriza de Nuevo Laredo luego de una serie de amenazas de la organización terrorista Cártel del Noreste, facción de Los Zetas. El cierre masivo de casi 200 tiendas se produce en un momento en que el gobierno de Tamaulipas sigue siendo impotente contra los diversos cárteles de la droga que gobiernan el estado.

Closed Oxxo

Mexican Family Forced to Pay Cartel After Government Unable to Solve Kidnapping Case

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.

Reynosa Banner

Familia Paga Rescate a Cartel Tras Impotencia de Gobierno Tamaulipeco

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.

Reynosa Banner

Arizona Teen and Mother Kidnapped in Cartel-Controlled Area of Mexico

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is asking for help in locating an Arizona teenage female and her mother who are believed to have been kidnapped while traveling in northern Mexico. The kidnapping is believed to have occurred along a stretch of highway where the Cartel Del Noreste faction of Los Zetas has abducted dozens of innocent victims who have never been heard from again.

Los Zetas Attack 1

EXCLUSIVA: Soldado Estadounidense Detenido en Mexico Haciendo Explosivos Para El CDG

Las autoridades mexicanas arrestaron a un exsoldado estadounidense que había estado fabricando explosivos para el Cartel del Golfo justo al sur de la frontera con Texas. El arresto se había mantenido en gran medida en secreto mientras las autoridades federales desarrollaban el caso en su contra y lo vinculaban a proceso; ya que se le acusa de fabricar minas y otros artefactos explosivos.

Cartel Bomb maker

Mexican Government Rejects U.S. Consulate’s Travel Warning About Targeted Kidnappings

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.

Tamaulipas shootout (1)