Resident of Dallas, Texas, Among the 57 People Gone Missing in Nuevo Laredo–Monterrey Highway This Year

"Morogris" for Borderland Beat; TY to "Anonymous"

José de Jesús Gómez Córdova went missing on 3 January 2021. His family has not heard from him since he crossed into the Mexican border at Nuevo Laredo.

A man from the Dallas, Texas, area is among the 50 people that have disappeared this year on the highway between Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, and Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas. 

Jose de Jesus Gomez Cordova, 45, went missing in January while driving from Irving, Texas, to Guadalajara, Jalisco.

Gomez Cordova is originally from Guadalajara but was living in the Dallas area for over 15 years. He was a legal, permanent US resident and made frequent trips to Mexico to visit his relatives.

“My brother spoke with my mother to tell her that he was already in Laredo, Texas, and the next day he would leave for Monterrey, to get to Guadalajara,” Magdalena Lira Córdova, 36, Gómez Córdova’s sister, said in an interview.

“Two days passed, he no longer answered phones, we completely lost contact with him.”

As reported by Borderland Beat, at least 7 US citizens have gone missing in or near Nuevo Laredo this year, making it one of the most dangerous places for US citizens on Mexican soil.

However, the US embassy has not issued a statement yet on this specific matter. Following the recent killing spree in Reynosa and the travel alert issued by the incumbent Nuevo Leon governor, the movement of US personnel in this area was greatly reduced.

Borderland Beat Analysis

There are two ways to go from Nuevo Laredo to Monterrey. The most common and quickest route is to take the Federal Highway 85D, a toll highway (autopista).

The other is to take the Federal Highway 85, a non-toll (libre) route that runs parallel to the other. Unlike the 85D, this freeway goes through several towns and rural communities and is about 30 minutes slower.

Sources consulted by Borderland Beat say that most of those missing have lost contact with their families in or around Kilometer 26 of the highway 85D. This point of the highway is where the toll booth (garita) ends when driving from Monterrey to Nuevo Laredo. This portion of the highway is part of the state of Tamaulipas.

The area shown in orange is where most of the people in this highway have gone missing. The media calls the Nuevo Laredo - Monterrey highway the "Highway of Death" (La carretera de la muerte). This portion of the highway on Kilometer 26 is being dubbed "The Death Stretch" (El tramo de la muerte). 

The cartel has several lookouts posted across the highway that notify other cartel members of potential targets driving through. Kilometer 26 has several abandoned warehouses (bodegas) where lookouts may hide to target drivers.

Cartel members generally target drivers driving SUVs or pick-up trucks (with four doors). These vehicles have a lot of places to tuck contraband away, and are efficient for rugged terrain should they go off-road. 

Nuevo Laredo is under the control of the Northeast Cartel (Cartel del Noreste, CDN), a splintered group of the old Zetas cartel. It is rival to the Gulf Cartel (Cartel del Golfo, CDG), based east of Nuevo Laredo all the way to Matamoros.

US Citizens Missing

In mid-March, three women from Laredo, Texas, disappeared after crossing to Nuevo Laredo for a doctor's appointment. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) believes they were kidnapped.

The following month, a man from Arkansas, disappeared near Nuevo Laredo after visiting his girlfriend in Monterrey. His whereabouts are also unknown.

In late May, two more US citizens from Houston, Texas, disappeared after they crossed the border into Nuevo Laredo. They were heading to San Luis Potosi to visit a sick relative. They never made it to their destination.

In mid-June, three more US citizens that were visiting their relatives in Sabinas Hidalgo, Nuevo Leon, went missing when they drove back to the US via Nuevo Laredo. 

Sources: Dallas News; Borderland Beat Analysis & Archives