Cartel Hitman Pointed Gun at Texas Cops After Home Invasion near Border

BROWNSVILLE, Texas — A Gulf Cartel hitman is accused of having pointed a handgun at a Texas border sheriff’s deputy while trying to flee following a botched home invasion.

The home invasion took place on Friday early morning when two gunmen, one of whom was later confirmed to be a cartel hitman, stormed a house in rural San Benito, Texas, information released by the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office revealed. During the robbery two gunmen in black raided the house looking for drugs and cash. When sheriff’s deputies arrived, the gunmen ran away. While attempting to flee, one of the gunmen pointed a 9mm Colt handgun at a deputy before vanishing into the darkness.

With the assistance of other agencies and a K-9, authorities were able to track down Manuel Martinez Duenes who was formally charged with various charges tied to the case and his bond was set at $150,000.

Manuel “El Meme” Martinez Duenes is actually a member of the Gulf Cartel, according to information provided to Breitbart Texas by federal law enforcement officials in Mexico.

Martinez Duenes had been a trusted enforcer of feared Gulf Cartel Commander Jose Luis “El Wicho” or “XW” Zuniga Hernandez prior to fleeing to the U.S. and apparently hiding in San Benito.

The cartel hitman known as El Wicho had been a top commander within the organization but was forced to flee to the U.S. with his close associates in 2011 after a series of fierce battles with a rival faction of the cartel.

Federal agents arrested Zuniga in October 2011 along with Luis Ivan “Machin XW-13” Nino Duenes and Armando “Mando or XW-2” Arizmendi Hernandez. At the time of the arrest, agents seized a jeweled handgun believed to be worth around $50,000.

It remains unclear if Nino Duenes and Martinez Duenes are related. Authorities are currently searching for the second gunman from this week’s home invasion.