Sources say that the Zetas are out of Reynosa tonight.
They've moved about 150 miles west to Nuevo Laredo. Intelligence sources say that the group wants to take over the city and make it their base of operations.
The U.S. Consulate General's office has already confirmed a gunbattle in Nuevo Laredo. It's happening near Boulevard Colosio and the city's zoo. The consulate general's office is telling all U.S. citizens to take shelter until the fighting stops.
Sources say that the Zetas are already calling in reinforcements. We're told 700 Zetas from around Mexico are joining the 500 already brought to the area last week.
The Gulf Cartel also called in reinforcements last week. They joined forces with two rival cartels, La Familia Michoacana (LFM) and the Sinaloa Cartel.
Our sources tell us the Sinaloa Cartel and LFM have a deep hatred of the Zetas. They could also benefit by getting a cut of the Valley's drug smuggling business.
It was a rough week for the border, following an explosion of shootouts and grenade attacks in northern Tamualipas.
Violence was reported in border cities like Valle Hermoso, Reynosa, Guerrero, Miguel Aleman, Ciudad Mier, and Valadeces. According to the Mexican military sources, last week's violence left at least 23 people dead.
Our sources tell us it was triggered when a Gulf Cartel member murdered a Zeta leader on January 18. The Zetas demanded the Gulf Cartel hand over the killer.
When that didn't happen, the Zetas kidnapped 16 Gulf Cartel members in Miguel Aleman. We're told that led to the shootouts up and down the border.
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Apparently Minerales, the location near which the alleged "seizure" is supposed to have occurred, is a colonia, which often means a shantytown of Hispanic squatters. Google map.
ReplyDeleteAs I said Sunday, July 25, in the meeting in Selma, Texas, my theory is that some Zetas went there to collect some drug money, met opposition, and in a firefight withdrew and took refuge in a couple of nearby ranches. By the time anyone could respond, they had escaped the scene, everyone in the area cleaned up and shut up, and we may no longer have evidence other than the words of a few people whose information is second-hand.
There have been such violent encounters elsewhere, in Arizona, California, and New Mexico, that have followed a similar pattern, except that some leave dead bodies. Almost everyone involved has a stake in covering it up.
I spoke to some people Sunday afternoon at a gun show in San Antonio who are attending to security for some ranchers, who provided confirmation that gangsters are oppressing ranchers in the area, to get them to allow operations across their land without interference. So that part seems to be happening, and has been for a long time. I have been reporting since 1995 of efforts by the drug traffickers to gain effective control of U.S. territory, along the border, in inner cities, and along transshipment corridors, through bribery, extortion, and intimidation of property owners and local officials. This was discussed by a lawyer, Joseph Delany, in an 1999 article.
If nothing else, this made a good start at a dry run, and we can learn some lessons from it, like whom we can count on.
So it may not have been a “hoax”, but a report that made it seem like something it wasn't, by use of the word "seizure", suggesting a long-term seizure of territory, rather than as a transitory incident.
We need to focus attention on the threats to U.S. sovereignty over our own territory that such intrusion involves. Border security is a separate issue from immigration, and even if immigrants were no more likely to commit crimes than citizens, the need to keep out criminals may be great enough to keep out harmless immigrants as well if the two cannot be distinguished.
Very good information Jon on the ranch seizure story. It is as we suspected in many ways. Yet many in the blogosphere are trying to say this was a hoax but it is simply another coverup because of threats on life and political careers.
ReplyDeleteIf you have any more information about the July 23rd incident please contact Digger at Digger's Realm (diggersrealm.com)