Mexican authorities killed four cartel gunmen during a shootout in the border city of Matamoros on Monday. The shootout comes as Gulf Cartel gunmen have been carrying out several kidnappings in the region.
The shootout took place on Monday morning in the Mariano, Matamoros neighborhood when agents with the Tamaulipas Attorney Generals Office (FGJ) and members of Mexico’s Navy (Marina) carried out a series of raids to locate kidnapping victims.
In response to the police raids, the Gulf Cartel deployed their gunmen, who moved throughout the city in numerous SUVs and began attacking police vehicles. The attack set off a series of high-speed chases and shootouts that spread to various parts of the city.
Ultimately, authorities killed four of the gunmen who were wearing body armor with the Gulf Cartel logo and patches with the number 19 in Roman numerals. The markings identified the gunmen as working for Jose Alberto “La Kena or Ciclon 19” Garcia Vilano, the current leader of the Matamoros faction of the Gulf Cartel.
Due to the intensity of the shootouts, the U.S. Consulate in Matamoros sent out alerts on social media warning U.S. citizens to avoid certain areas and to shelter in place.
U.S. Consulate General Matamoros employees are currently under a shelter in place order until 1:30PM in Matamoros due to gun violence occurring in the city. We recommend you shelter in place and stay tuned to local news for updates in your area. pic.twitter.com/fi5Uzlvs9I
— US ConGen Matamoros (@USCGMatamoros) September 4, 2023
Law enforcement sources revealed to Breitbart Texas that the raids come as part of an ongoing investigation by the FGJ into multiple kidnappings reportedly carried out by the local faction of the Gulf Cartel. As Breitbart Texas reported, the Gulf Cartel is engaged in a fierce turf war with a rival faction in Reynosa.
The ongoing conflict sparked a dramatic rise in violence throughout the state that manifested itself in large-scale shootouts, kidnappings, targeted killings, carjackings, and other violent crimes. These crimes take place despite the efforts of the Tamaulipas governments to manipulate statistics and claim that the region is safe.
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 their original Spanish. This article was written by “J.A. Espinoza”, “J.C. Sanchez” and “Francisco Morales” from Tamaulipas. |
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