Cartel Smugglers Hold 15 Migrants for Ransom in Mexican Border State

Cartel-connected smugglers kidnapped 15 migrants and held them for ransom at a ranch near the border city of Piedras Negras, Coahuila, over the past weekend.

The rescue took place near the rural community of El Centinela, information provided to Breitbart Texas by the Coahuila state government revealed. The case began when relatives of the kidnapped migrants called authorities claiming smugglers were demanding as much as $10,000 to release their loved ones and allow them to continue to the U.S. border.

Authorities worked to find the location of the ranch and raided the property. By the time cops arrived, the kidnappers escaped and abandoned the migrants. State police took the migrants to their headquarters in Piedras Negras for medical care and food.

The northern part of Coahuila has become a hotspot in the current immigration crisis since the region has minimal border fencing with Texas. The shift comes after the Gulf Cartel in Tamaulipas began to raise their crossing fees despite their increasingly brutal treatments of customers.

The border state of Coahuila has seen an increase in violence as the Cartel Del Noreste faction of Los Zetas carries out attacks targeting state police. The CDN-Los Zetas are based in the neighboring border city of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, where the organization has government protection. From there, they have been able to sneak into Coahuila via dirt roads and attack police forces.

Editor’s Note: Breitbart Texas traveled to Mexico City and the 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 “C.E. Herrera” and “J.M. Martinez” from Coahuila.