Mexican Border Mayor’s Bodyguards Jailed on Weapons Charges

Breitbart Texas traveled to the Mexican States of Tamaulipas and Coahuila 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 “J.A. Espinoza” from Matamoros. 

MATAMOROS, Tamaulipas — Two bodyguards tasked with protecting the mayor of this extremely dangerous Mexican border town have been jailed by federal authorities in connection with weapons charges.

Federal authorities arrested Oliverio Mendez Olmos and Hector Alan Sanchez Ramos earlier this week and turned them over to Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office on allegations that the bodyguards had restricted weaponry without the necessary licenses and permits.

The arrest took place shortly after 10 p.m. when the security detail returned from escorting Matamoros Mayor Leticia Salazar to one of the city’s international bridges. As Breitbart Texas has previously reported, Salazar has been the target of an assassination attempt and other hostilities in the past. The state government has tried to minimize the attacks against Salazar. Since the Gulf Cartel continues to operate impunity in the major cities in this state, at times Salazar has spent the night in Texas.

After the security detail had dropped off Salazar at the bridge, two of the armored SUV’s drove back but when they passed through an area near the U.S. Consulate, Mexican federal police officers stopped the “suspicious” convoy.  Federal authorities stopped the convoy because the two SUV’s did not have license plates, had dark tinted windows and the only markers were a blue “M” that is part of the mayor’s logo.

During the stop by federal cops, both Mendez and Sanchez were not able to provide any ID’s that identify them as city employees or members of the security detail. The men also did not have permits for the weapons that were found inside the vehicles.

The two vehicles ended up at the headquarters of the PGR office from where one was eventually released. Salazar has not made any public statements about the arrest of her two bodyguards.