Cartel paramilitary forces in Mexico have been spotted carrying anti-tank weapons during their clashes just south of the Texas border. The gunmen have been taking part in a fierce turf war that has lasted for several weeks. Both sides have been using armored vehicles and explosive devices with minimal interference from Mexico’s government.
A new video shared on social media captured the moment when a member of the Escorpiones faction of the Gulf Cartel walked along a dirt road with what appears to be an anti-tank weapon strapped to his back. The video comes at a time when the Escorpiones, based in Matamoros, have been waging a fierce turf war with the Metros faction from Reynosa over control of lucrative drug and human smuggling corridors.
As Breitbart Texas reported, during those clashes, cartel gunmen have been using dozens of armored vehicles as they fight along the numerous dirt roads surrounding the cities of Reynosa, Rio Bravo, and San Fernando. Most of the fighting takes place at night or in early morning hours. In some cases, shootouts have taken place during the daytime and right next to the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge.
Since the start of the new turf war in early May, Tamaulipas government officials have been working to minimize the violence and falsely claiming that the state is one of the safest in the nation, Breitbart Texas reported.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.