Nuevo León: Five Arrested, An Arsenal is Seized After a Car Chase

"HEARST" for Borderland Beat 

On June 18, 2021, a vehicle convoy of Army (SEDENA) soldiers, along with members of the Civil Forces and the Tactical Actions Division (DAT) were carrying out an unspecified special operation in General Terán municipality of the state of Nuevo Leon.

At around 11:15 am a white vehicle traveling down Zaragoza street towards the security forces' vehicle convoy made an abrupt stop, seemingly due to the driver spotting the soldiers and government vehicles. This sudden stop drew the attention of the security forces.

The white vehicle then began maneuvering to turn around so it could drive the other direction, making a U-turn. This further alerted the security forces and when the white vehicle began speeding away, they were already beginning to follow closely behind in their own vehicles. A full out car chase broke out however it ended only two blocks later when soldiers were able to catch up with the vehicle and force it to stop. 

Soldiers approached the vehicle and upon speaking with the driver, they observed all the riders inside the vehicle were wearing tactical vests that appeared to contain extra ammunition.

Their attire was enough to warrant a search of the vehicle and inside they found five M4 style firearms, likely M4A1s (of note, they had iron sights, a rarity). As well as a Beretta 92 style firearm. Accompanying these were 15 mags and 65 clear plastic bags containing marijuana. 

The driver and the riders of the vehicle were then detained by the security forces on charges of the illegal possession of firearms and crimes against health (drug charges). A pending investigation will determine if there are further charges.

The detainees were identified as Alejandro “N”, 38 years old, from the municipality of General Terán, Ricardo “N”, 25 years old, from Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Francisco “N”, 34 years old, from the municipality of General Terán, Uriel “N”, 23 years old, and Génesis “N”, 20 years old, both from Reynosa, Tamaulipas.

Nuevo Leon is currently considered to be largely controlled by Cártel del Noreste, the Los Zetas splinter group, although Cártel del Golfo is believed to still maintain some presence in Nuevo Leon. There have been an uptick in rumors of a Sinaloa Cartel group beginning to have a presence in the area, as reported by El Norte, however there is no strong evidence to support these claims currently.

As reported by Sol two days ago, there has been a rash of kidnappings in Montemorelos, which is a municipality bordering General Terán. Reports on social media say this armed group has been seen in other municipalities such as the aforementioned General Terán and Allende as well. There is no evidence to suggest those arrested on June 18, 2021 are connected to a kidnapping operation, however it does help to paint a broader picture of the current cartel landscape of this region within Nuevo Leon.

Sources: El Universal, Mexico Codigo Rojo, La Talacha Noreste, ABC Noticias, Horacero, FRV 24