Army Discovers Roadside IED in Camargo, Tamaulipas

"HEARST" for Borderland Beat 

Army (SEDENA) soldiers found a homemade explosive device (improvised explosive device, IED) as well as a grenade at the entrance to the Santa Rosalia Gas Station, in the municipality of Camargo, in the state of Tamaulipas.   

According to the local newspaper La Tarde, SEDENA soldiers were traveling along the highway that connects the state of Nuevo Leon and the state of Tamaulipas on October 7, 2021. They were reportedly in a multiple vehicle military convoy that was making inspection rounds according to a source close to the discovery that spoke to Proceso magazine. 

During their inspection rounds they discovered "ponchallantas" or metal tire puncture devices which are often placed on roads as a standard part of narco tactics to prevent vehicles, especially those belonging to rival cartels or the military, from moving freely. These ponchallantas were placed on the stretch of highway between Peña Blanca and Comales, within Camargo municipality, 

Upon further inspection, the soldiers discovered a few meters ahead suspicious items hidden in the undergrowth which were found to be a grenade and a homemade explosive device that were active and ready to be triggered, possibly by a vehicle passing over the aforementioned ponchallantas. 

SEDENA explosives experts were called to the site. They inspected the device and found it was made up of a PVC tube 80 centimeters long by 4 inches in diameter, with a fuse just over a meter long, next to it was the intact grenade. The explosive experts performed a controlled detonation of the device as it was the best option to deactivate the device given the circumstances.

This grenade is described in Proceso, La Tarde, Excelsior and Aristegui Noticias as being a “una granada calibre 40” or 40 caliber grenade. This likely refers to a 40mm (often called a 40 mike mike in the US) grenade which is best known for being used in grenade launchers, especially under barrel ones (such as the US M203). These are attached to firearm rifles which shoot traditional bullets, allowing the gunman to employ both grenades and traditional bullet firing depending on the situation. 

Example photo showing 40mm grenades.

The use of an unexploded 40mm seems like a bit of a non-conventional choice for the construction of an IED as a fragmentation hand grenade is generally thought to possess more potential for destructive power. It is always possible the grenade was simply abandoned ammo, never intended to be a part of the nearby IED implementation, although its proximity to the IED does suggest an intended purpose between the two. 

Possible Motives 

One of the strongest indicators of motive currently suggested by the reporting is that these two items were placed a few meters from the location where Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) units enter and leave the Santa Rosalia Gas Station.

One possibility is this was a copycat explosive device, inspired by the recent Salamnca bombing (covered here) and the subsequent law enforcement heat it brought down upon the Salamanca plaza by an organization which seeks to benefit from Camargo heating up. The two major cartels thought to be operating in Camargo are the Gulf Cartel (Cártel del Golfo, CDG) and the Northeast Cartel (Cártel del Noreste, CDN).

Another possibility is the device was constructed by local small or big time huachicolero, or fuel thieves, which often seek to destroy gas stations, the legal competition to their business of selling stolen gasoline, as the lack of competition drives up their profits. In this hypothetical, the intention was not to bring down heat on the plaza but simply to damage the PEMEX supply, in what can only be described as a short sighted move as the fear over organized crime employing explosive devices is currently at an all time high. 

Sources: Proceso, La Tarde, Excelsior, Aristegui Noticias, El Horizonte, El Diario de Coahuila