MCALLEN, Texas — Three cartel hitmen who remain unidentified died during a shootout with the Mexican military in the Mexican border city of Matamoros.
The shootout took place during the early hours of Tuesday morning when a military convoy was carrying out routine patrols and spotted a convoy of gunmen riding in SUV’s, information provided by the Tamaulipas government to Breitbart Texas shows.
When the Mexican soldiers tried to stop the gunmen they opened fire at the military convoy starting a firefight, during which one of the cartel SUV’s ended up crashing into a neighboring house. The shootout left three gunmen between the ages of 25-35 dead near their crashed vehicle.
After the firefight, Mexican authorities seized three assault rifles, 13 magazines, 230 ammunition rounds, a tactical vest and other gear.
Historically, the Mexican border city of Matamoros has been under the control of the Gulf Cartel, a criminal syndicate tied to drug trafficking, human trafficking, extortion, kidnapping, murder for hire and multiple other crimes. In recent years, the entire state of Tamaulipas including Matamoros has been the scene of numerous shootouts between heavily armed cartel hitmen and the Mexican military prompting the U.S. Department of State to issue a travel advisory warning citizens to avoid the state’s highways and to exercise care when visiting.
Follow Ildefonso Ortiz on Twitter @ildefonsoortiz
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