The ongoing violence between cartel fighters and Mexican authorities in Nuevo Laredo led to 12 gunmen dying within a 24-hour span this week.
The most recent battle took place in Nuevo Laredo Wednesday morning when a group from the Cartel Del Noreste (CDN) faction of Los Zetas attacked a Mexican Army fort, leading to a shootout that killed five gunmen.
The CDN men were all wearing military-style uniforms and carried high-powered weapons. They were part of the organization’s “Tropa Del Diablo or Devil’s Troops,” tasked with keeping rival cartels at bay and clashing with authorities.
The attack took place soon after another squad from the CDN carried out an ambush on a group of Tamaulipas State Police at a gas station. Two state officers sustained various injuries but are expected to survive.
As Breitbart Texas reported, hours before the above shootouts, a group of Tamaulipas State Officers clashed with a squad of seven CDN gunmen riding in an SUV with high-powered weapons. Seven gunmen died. In recent weeks, the CDN has terrorized Nuevo Laredo and other border cities by triggering multiple battles. The CDN uses armored SUVs with mounted machine guns, .50 caliber rifles, grenade launchers, and RPGs.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.
Tony Aranda from Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles contributed to this report.
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