Canada Warns Against Land Travel to Cartel-Controlled Mexican Border Cities

The Canadian government is warning its citizens to avoid traveling by land to three cartel-controlled Mexican border cities amid a dramatic rise in violence in the new year.

The cities of Reynosa, Nuevo Laredo, and Ciudad Juarez are listed specifically in a new travel advisory warning people to avoid crossing by land. Air travel into those cities is urged as an alternative.

“Border areas often see higher criminal activity and violence, including in rural areas,” the travel advisory revealed. “Confrontations between organized criminal groups and Mexican authorities continue to pose a risk. Shootouts, attacks, and illegal roadblocks may occur without warning.”

Canadian diplomats further advise citizens to avoid traveling to the entire states of Tamaulipas and Chihuahua.

This week, cartel gunmen left three severed heads in a rural area between Reynosa and Miguel Aleman. The heads are believed to be members of the Cartel Del Noreste faction of Los Zetas who have been trying to take control of drug corridors used by the Gulf Cartel.

Se confirma el hallazgo de tres cabezas humanas cerca del Poblado Los Angeles del municipio de #MiguelAleman en #Tamaulipas. Uno de los masculinos trae un tatuaje en el rostro arriba de la ceja. Para los que tengan personas desaparecidas espero ese dato les sirva. pic.twitter.com/v6FFieddcL

— ElGuzman (@FuriaNegra77) January 10, 2023

Additionally, state police forces and cartel gunmen clashed in the nearby town of Guardados de Arriba, also close to Miguel Aleman. During a subsequent clash, a Mexican soldier died.

Ayer un elemento del ejército mexicano @SEDENAmx murió en cumplimiento del deber tras una emboscada de sicarios del “CDN” en Guardados de Abajo de #MiguelAleman. Tras repeler el ataque lograron neutralizar a dos de los agresores. Pronta recuperación a los militares lesionados. pic.twitter.com/SC016TCMl4

— ElGuzman (@FuriaNegra77) January 11, 2023

Violence in Tamaulipas had spiked since late last year when Governor Americo Villarreal took office and pulled back state police forces from their prior tasks of confronting cartel gunmen.
In Ciudad Juarez, the region started 2023 with a prison riot and breakout where 30 inmates escaped. During the chaos, 14 individuals died. Since then, authorities have been unable to capture 26 of the escapees. The violence in Ciudad Juarez comes at a time of reignited cartel turf wars.

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.