GRAPHIC — 3 Mexican Cartel Gunmen Killed near Border Bridge to Texas

REYNOSA, Tamaulipas — Three cartel gunmen died over the weekend in a series of local skirmishes. The shootouts occurred less than a mile from the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge to Texas.

The regular firefights in Reynosa are tied to an ongoing turf war between rival factions of the Gulf Cartel. Gunfire is typically traded among cartel sects or with the inclusion of authorities. Reynosa is immediately south of Pharr, Hidalgo, Mission, and McAllen, Texas, and is considered one of the main drug and human smuggling into the United States.

The most recent series of clashes took place this weekend on the eastern side of the city, less than a mile from the international bridge leading to Pharr. The gun battle began when Mexican authorities tried to arrest various Gulf Cartel operatives, setting off a series of high-speed chases and shootouts along Colosio Boulevard, not far from the Rio Grande. The struggle ended in the Nuevo Amanecer neighborhood near the border with Texas.

A gray Chevrolet Silverado crashed against a light post with three gunmen inside. The passengers either died upon impact or soon after while trying to fight off authorities. The gunmen were part of the Reynosa “Metros” faction–tasked with keeping rival Matamoros units out of the city. Since May 2017, the faction from Matamoros, “Escorpiones,” has seen success in taking territory from the Metros.

Editor’s Note: Breitbart Texas traveled to the Mexican States of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, and Nuevo León 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 various cartels that operate in those areas including the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas 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 “A.C. Del Angel” from Tamaulipas.