Confrontation in Tamaulipas leaves at least 25 dead

Translated for Borderland Beat from a Proceso article by O.B.F-W

Nuevo Laredo, Tamps

This past Thursday the 26th of March, hours after the Army had decommissioned (incinerated) 6 tonnes of Marijuana that they discovered in buried in clandestine graves at diverse points on the frontier Chica, a series of clashes were raised throughout the region, particularly in the town of Camargo, where there has been the loss of at least 25 lives according to the State Government.

This last incident until now has not been reported, nothing was recorded in the gal era del Ejido Nueveo Cadillo. The eighth Military zone was limited to only report the arrest of alleged gunmen and securing an arsenal of drugs, money and armoured trucks.

In the 25th of March the State Delegation of the Prosecutor General of the Repulic (PGR) started five investigations which led to the confiscation of more than 6 tonnes of Marijuana in the towns of Miguel Aleman, Camargo, Ciudad Mier and Gustavo Diaz Ordaz.





One of the confiscations occurred in La Ribera de Rio Bravo, in the village of Los Guerra, one more confiscation took place in 3 clandestine graves located in and around Ejido Camargo. The rest of the drugs were discovered on the shores of the Rio Bravo in Ciudad Mier and in the Ejido Miguel Hidalgo of the town of Ciudad de Gustavo Diaz Ordaz.

In the hours that followed the discoveries, commenced a series of confrontations in Miguel Aleman, Camargo, and Ciudad Mier , which were confirmed by an agent of PGR who wished to remain anonymous.

According to said person, this past Thursday the Boss of Plaza of Camargo, "El Commander Beto", of the Cartel del Golfo, who replaced "Commandante Panochitas who was detained by the DEA in October of 2014, convened a reunion of his sicarios and halcones in el ejido de Nuevo Cadillo.

From his arrival at Camargo, "El Commander Beto" started to impose his authority in a bloody manner, including killing his bodyguards, hitmen and halcones that didn't carry out his orders, added the source.

He also mentioned that in the afternoon of the past Thursday, that 27 hit men and halcones, where "El Commander Beto" informed those present that there would be changes in the organisation that controls the plaza.

When they arrived they were all together in six armored trucks with gun ports. A woman who was wounded and hours later the Army took the town of Camargo, said the source.

Yesterday the PGR released three communications, in the first they reported that "elements of the Mexican Army confiscated in the immediate vicinity of ejido Nuevo Cadillo, town of Camargo, Tamaulipas, 23 rifles, three grenades, 6513 rounds of ammunition and 295 magazines for different calibre's, 11 packets of marijuana, with a brick of 97 kilos.

These items were located on a water tank buried in that location, said a statement from the Tamaulipas delegation of the PGR.

In the second communication, they reported they had confiscated 10 rifles, 28 grenades, a grenade launcher, and other dangerous items.

When land patrols in Ciudad Camargo, Tamaulipas of the Mexican Army arrived in support of the State Public Security agents, they located a Ford Lobo with double cabin and Tamaulipas licence plates which had been abandoned.

The Army searched the abandoned vehicle, and found that it was armoured, and inside they found seven assault rifles of 7.62 x 39 calibre( otis probably Ak47 ), two rifles of 5.56 x 45 calibre (otis probably AR15 variants) a .50 calibre rifle ( otis probably a Barrett), 14 frag hand grenades, 14 40mm grenades for a grenade launcher, a 40mm grenade launcher, a rocket launcher armed with a 85mm rocket, and eight 85mm rocket reloads ( otis sounds like a SMAW)

Also the Army decommissioned 9 rocket reloads for the rocket launcher, and more than 6500 rounds of ammunition of different calibre's.

In the third communication, the State Delegation reported the detention of 11 individuals, for violation of the Federal Law of Firearms and Explosives.

These people, were put at the disposition of the SEDENA in Reynosa Tamaulipas

The statement continues: Informative Military personnel reported that when ground forces surveyed the Reynosa - Nuevo Laredo highway, they heard gun fire and placed the origin of the confrontation, at the outskirts of the village called Puertecitos, Town of Camargo, Tamaulipas, elements of the Army observed two moving vehicles, when armed civilians sustained a gun battle with people that they came across in a Galera.

Once the Army came to the Galera, they observed that several people ran in different directions, going through vegetation of the place, plots and homes, carrying rifles, so they implemented a safety plan to stop them.

After the Military ceased fire, they arrested 11 people, some were wounded and were taken for medical attention. The 8th Military Zone released no information on the previous slaughter perpetrated by the Gulf Cartel Gunmen who were detained.

Original article in Spanish at Proceso