Gulf Cartel Continues Border Turf War Despite Mexican Government’s Claims of Regional Safety

Matamoros Soldiers
Breitbart Texas / Cartel Chronicles
Ildefonso Ortiz and Brandon Darby

In the Mexican border cities of Reynosa and Matamoros, locals are locking themselves in their homes as soon as the sun goes down due to an ongoing war between rival factions of the Gulf Cartel. The renewed fighting led to more than a week of fighting in several parts of the state of Tamaulipas despite an intense effort by state and federal authorities to deny the violence and minimize what they can’t hide.

As Breitbart Texas reported, the violence escalated over the past ten days as the Metros (Reynosa) faction of the Gulf Cartel and the Escorpiones (Matamoros) faction went to war. The violence further increased when the Old School Zetas from San Fernando who were allied with the Escorpiones switched sides and sided with the Reynosa faction. Military forces and law enforcement played a minimal role in stopping the violence as gunmen continued to operate along highways in large convoys of armored vehicles.

During the days of fighting that followed, several armored vehicles with the letters CJNG were abandoned in places where cartel forces had clashed. In August 2022, Breitbart Texas reported exclusively on a series of attacks by Mexico’s Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) in the town of Jimenez. The criminal organization made its way into Tamaulipas from the state of San Luis Potosi where they currently operate.

During the week, Tamaulipas Governor Americo Villarreal and his staff claimed there was no proof that cartels from other states had entered the state and were helping one side or the other. They claimed that one of the factions was trying to make others believe that they had the support of CJNG and had used white paint to put the letters on some vehicles, while the real CJNG used professional decals.

Government officials claimed that Tamaulipas is safe and that reports of cartel violence are simply an attempt by a previous administration to attack the current governor.

Despite those claims, social media posters continue to share videos and photographs showing convoys of gunmen operating with impunity throughout the state.

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.

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