MONTERREY, Nuevo Leon — The newfound popularity of Uber in Mexican border states and tourist hotspots has become a lucrative option for drug cartels looking to move products and members without drawing heat.
Criminal organizations like the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas began using regular taxis to sell drugs and act as scouts in Nuevo León, Breitbart Texas reported. State authorities opened several investigations into Uber drivers that have been linked to organized crime; including two who were beheaded and another tortured then shot.
A month after Breitbart Texas reported on the rising number of crimes tied to Uber, Jorge Longoria, the head of the Nuevo Leon transportation agency, confirmed that organized crime was using fake Uber cars. The public official did not specify how the fake Uber vehicles are able to move throughout Monterrey.
“There is a rising number of crimes, thefts, kidnappings, robberies and other crimes where the actors identify themselves as Ubers,” Longoria said during a news conference. The official did not give details about the investigations, nor did he provide information about how state officials are working to improve security for Uber customers.
While authorities in Nuevo Leon continue looking into Uber drivers–in Mexico’s beach resort city of Cancun, a narco-banner issued a death threat against the company in that region. The banner was signed by Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG).
“We are informing all citizens that we will start the cleanup of Uber as well as all those people who cooperate with this service. We are going after those dog drivers, don’t get killed heads will roll. First and last warning!!! CJNG”
Quintana Roo government officials have attributed the message to regular taxi drivers trying to intimidate their rivals. However, Quintana Roo has seen a number of shootouts, executions, and cartel banners popping up throughout the state.
Since December, Breitbart Texas has reported on the ongoing fight for control of the drug trade in various parts of Quintana Roo. One of the most dramatic cases took place earlier this year at the Blue Parrot Bar in Playa del Carmen, where five tourists were killed and several others injured following a cartel linked attack. According to various law enforcement reports, the region has been in dispute by Los Zetas, the Gulf Cartel, CJNG, and other independent drug gangs.
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 Nuevo Leon’s Tony Aranda.
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