Breitbart Texas traveled to the Mexican border cities of Reynosa and Matamoros to recruit citizen journalists willing to risk their lives and expose the cartels silencing their communities. The writers would face certain death at the hands of the Gulf Cartel if a pseudonym were not used. Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles are published in both English and in their original Spanish. This article was written by Reynosa’s “AC Del Angel.”
REYNOSA, Tamaulipas — Top members within the leadership of the Gulf Cartel have been discussing the use of car bombs and other explosives to incite terror in this border city. An audio recording that has been anonymously leaked onto social media and obtained by Breitbart Texas revealed that top commanders within the Gulf Cartel may be planning to set off car bombs in the near future. Breitbart Texas consulted with various U.S. law enforcement agencies who confirmed that they are aware of the situation and are following the developments south of the border very closely.
The recorded conversation took place between Roberto “Comandante Chiricuas” Saavedra Santana who is the current regional leader in Ciudad Mier and Alberto “Wero Clefoas” Cleofas Martinez form Reynosa. In the conversation, the two men talk about “El Moncada” who has been identified as the explosives manufacturer for the Gulf Cartel and has been tied to multiple car bombs used in recent years.
Octavio “El Moncada” Leal Moncada is described as an old school Gulf Cartel commander who is the leader of the “Pedro J. Mendez Armed Wing” in Hidalgo Tamaulipas. The armed wing is a group of gunmen that have been tasked with fighting the Gulf Cartel in the central region of the state; however the group has been claiming to be a self – defense group made up of average citizens.
A source who personally knows Alberto “Wero Cleofas” Martinez personally confirmed to Breitbart Texas that one of the men in the recorded conversation is in fact Martinez. While the date of the conversation is not known, the conversation is a recent one since “Comandante Toro” is the current regional leader in Reynosa.
In 2010, when the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas went to war, one of the strategies used by the Gulf Cartel was setting off car bombs. Since the war started, at least 10 car bombs have been used. The first recorded car bomb went off on August 2010 in the Tamaulipas State Capital of Ciudad Victoria. Through a video uploaded to YouTube by the Pedro J Mendez Armed Wing, the Gulf Cartel took credit for the attack.
The Pedro J Mendez Armed Wing claims to be a self defense group and has gone on social media and reached out to the public in an effort to gain support. In a YouTube channel ElVerdugo811 confirms the group’s ties to orgnized crime as they take responsibility for each of the car bombs since 2010.
Of the 10 car bombs that were set off in Tamaulipas, two took place in Nuevo Laredo. However according to a series ofnarco-banners that were put up in Leon, Guanajuato on JUly 11, 2012, point to Mike “El Gringo Mike” Villarreal and Rolando “El Roly’s Velazquez Caballero both form the Gulf Cartel as having been the ones behind the bombs. Velazquez Caballero recruited a team of Mexican police officers from Coahuila with special tactical training to help him carry out the attacks.
Of the Gulf Cartel bomb makers, only Moncada remains as Villarreal was killed off in 2013 by his own cartel and Velazquez was arrested by authorities in April.
The leaked audio also shows the distrust that has been sown within the leadership of the Gulf Cartel.
Previous Car Bomb Attacks Documented in Tamaulipas (Mexican News Articles)
– August 5, 2010, 5 de agosto 2010 A car bomb goes off in the Public Safety Building in Ciudad Victoria Tamaulipas
– August 27, 2010 Two car bombs go off in CIudad Victoria, one at the Transit Police and one at a local TV station
– March 15, 2011 Five injured after car bomb goes off in Ciudad Victoria’s Municipal Police Station
– March 20, 2012 A car bomb goes off outside of a Ciudad Victoria newspaper.
– April 24, 2012 Truck explodes outside of the Nuevo Laredo Public Safety Building
– May 24, 2012 Car bomb explodes at a Nuevo Laredo hotel
– June 30,2012 Bomb goes off outside of Mayor’s office in Nuevo Laredo
– July 3, 2012 Car bomb goes off at the house of the Tamaulipas Public Safety Director in Ciudad Victoria
– October 16, 2012 Car bomb and grenade explode in Ciudad Victoria
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