Cartel Violence

Government officials in Mexico have been working to portray an image of peace in the border state of Tamaulipas by using doctored crime stats and making misleading statements to news outlets. In reality, several drug cartels have been waging fierce turf wars throughout the state. The violence rose exponentially in recent weeks as drug cartels have become more brazen.

The governor of the Mexican state of Sinaloa asked the various factions of the drug cartel that controls his state for peace. The request followed a series of killings tied to infighting within the criminal organization. The killings emerged after the apparent kidnapping and surrendering to U.S. authorities of Sinaloa Cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada by the Chapitos faction of the organization.

Two gunmen tried to kidnap the father of a Mexican border city mayor and then shot at him as the gunmen tried to escape. The attack comes as Tamaulipas state officials continue to claim that the region is safe despite several recent high-profile kidnappings.

Authorities in Mexico confirmed the disappearance of a U.S. citizen from Iowa who had been missing for several days after crossing the border. The disappearance comes at a time when government officials continue to claim that security conditions have been improving. However, criminal organizations like the Gulf Cartel can operate with almost complete impunity.

State police officers could not assist a group of fellow cops under fire during a series of large-scale deadly attacks by cartel gunmen because their vehicles did not have enough fuel.

Journalists in Mexico are once again denouncing the murder of one of their own who died at the hands of a team of gunmen. The attack came despite the victim being under police protection.

A group of gunmen shot and killed a business leader in the border city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas. The businessman gained national notoriety for being very outspoken about cartel extortions, crime, violence, and the widespread corruption in the border state of Tamaulipas.

Una de las cadenas de tiendas de conveniencia más grandes de México ha cerrado todas sus sucursales en la ciudad fronteriza de Nuevo Laredo luego de una serie de amenazas de la organización terrorista Cártel del Noreste, facción de Los Zetas. El cierre masivo de casi 200 tiendas se produce en un momento en que el gobierno de Tamaulipas sigue siendo impotente contra los diversos cárteles de la droga que gobiernan el estado.

In yet another resounding example of the Mexican government’s inability to protect its citizens, a family in the border city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas, was forced to pay the Gulf Cartel approximately $40,000 USD for the release of their loved one. Government authorities could not help in the case, as relatives and activists were forced to plea to the dominant criminal organizations in the region to help.

En otro ejemplo contundente de la incapacidad del gobierno de México para proteger a sus ciudadanos, una familia en la ciudad fronteriza de Reynosa se vio obligada a pagar al Cártel del Golfo aproximadamente 40.000 dólares por la liberación de su ser querido. Las autoridades gubernamentales no pudieron ayudar en el caso, y los familiares y activistas se vieron obligados a pedir ayuda a las organizaciones criminales que gobiernan la región.

The U.S. Department of State issued a new travel alert about cartel gunmen kidnapping American passengers from buses traveling through the border city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas. The advisory comes even after Mexican border state officials dismissed a prior alert claiming the region has minimal crime statistics.

Four men died during a series of shootouts between military forces and cartel gunmen during an attempt to capture the brother of jailed cartel kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. In the aftermath of the shootouts, the Mexican military claimed to have arrested a top enforcer, but their intended target eluded capture.

Suspected cartel gunmen threw three explosives at a state police building in the Mexican beach hotpot of Acapulco. The terror-style attack comes soon after gunmen left 9 dismembered bodies in that same city.

Cartel gunmen dumped nine dismembered bodies in several locations over the weekend, highlighting an ongoing turf war near the popular beach hotspot of Acapulco.

As the six-year presidential term of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) comes to an end, his legacy will be the highest number of homicides recorded under any presidential term since the Mexican Revolution. The record 191,600 murders during his term highlight the devastating effects of his “Abrazos, no blazes” or “Hugs, not bullets” policy approach to dealing with the violent drug cartels operating throughout the county.

An elderly couple sustained moderate injuries after a group of cartel gunmen dropped an IED on top of their home using a drone. The incident comes as cartels continue to operate with almost complete impunity in the western Mexican state of Michoacan, where various organizations are fighting a fierce turf war for control of drug production areas and trafficking routes.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is asking for help in locating an Arizona teenage female and her mother who are believed to have been kidnapped while traveling in northern Mexico. The kidnapping is believed to have occurred along a stretch of highway where the Cartel Del Noreste faction of Los Zetas has abducted dozens of innocent victims who have never been heard from again.

Mexican authorities arrested a former U.S. soldier who had allegedly been building explosives for the Gulf Cartel just south of the Texas border. The arrest had been kept largely under wraps as federal authorities built up the case against him,

The U.S. Department of Agriculture halted the importation of avocados and mangoes from Mexico following the abduction of two of its workers in a state known for cartel violence.

Mexican government officials publicly rejected a recent travel warning issued by the U.S. Department of State in the border city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas. The warning advised U.S. citizens not to travel by bus, citing targeted kidnappings of American citizens and residents in the neighboring border city of Reynosa. Mexican officials continue to claim the border region is safe, even though the region is under the control of the Gulf Cartel and continues to go through a hyperviolent turf war.

Border Patrol agents in Blythe, California, arrested a California man and his 17-year-old brother after a service K-9 alerted the agents to the presence of a large cache of semi-automatic rifles in their vehicle. In total, agents seized 25 AK-style rifles, two handguns, and ammunition magazines on Wednesday in Blythe, California. Jose Palma Almendariz and his teenage brother now face federal charges related to Wednesday’s firearms and magazine seizure.

The United States Consulate in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, is sounding the alarm about the targeting of U.S. citizens, residents, and people with connections in the U.S. for ransom kidnappings while traveling on passenger buses.

Two gunmen riding on a motorcycle fired several shots at the entrance of a news building in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. The region is known for the impunity with which drug cartels operate.

Authorities in Mexico rescued 13 Central American migrants who had been kidnapped and were being tortured by their captors to force families to pay ransom for their release.

Search parties found numerous clandestine graveyards in the rural area of the Mexican border state of Sonora near the international border with Arizona. The discoveries come at a time when cartel violence has been plaguing the border state despite empty assurances made by Mexico’s government.

Los equipos de búsqueda han encontrado numerosos cementerios clandestinos en el estado fronterizo mexicano de Sonora, en una zona rural cerca de la frontera con Arizona. Los descubrimientos se producen en un momento en que la violencia de los cárteles ha estado plagando el estado fronterizo a pesar de las vacías garantías hechas por el gobierno de México.

Las autoridades arrestaron a dos traficantes de personas en la ciudad fronteriza mexicana de Piedras Negras bajo cargos de secuestro luego de que se rescatara a dos migrantes que habían sido secuestrados por el cobro de rescate.

A group of suspected cartel gunmen shot and killed the first woman mayor in the town of Cotija, Michoacan, a state suffering from widespread cartel violence. The killing comes just one day after Mexico held its national elections. The victim had survived a separate cartel kidnapping in 2023.

The son of a Gulf Cartel operator who helped run a large-scale operation in Texas will spend two and a half years in federal prison for trying to intimidate federal agents. The agents were hunting for his father and potential witnesses against him.

The murder of a top operator within a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel is sending shockwaves throughout Mexico. While the masterminds behind the murder remain unknown, the killing is expected to lead to violent consequences.

A mayoral candidate in the border city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, canceled her final campaign event after a recording artist headlining her event received a series of threats believed to come from the Gulf Cartel.

Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador claimed that this week’s outrage over the fatal shooting of a young boy during a failed kidnapping was manufactured as a way to hurt his government image due to the upcoming elections.

‘I Don’t Want to Die,’ Young Boy Shot by Kidnappers in Mexico Screams in Video

A group of gunmen abducted, killed, and then dismembered a political candidate and his wife. The gunmen left their remains in the bed of a pickup on a busy street in the popular beach resort town of Acapulco, Guerrero. Mexico has experienced one of the bloodiest-ever political seasons, with more than 30 politicians being murdered so far.

Gulf Cartel gunmen ambushed a squad of police officers, killing two, in a Mexican border city that Tamaulipas government officials claim is safe. The killing comes after a full day of cartel blockades and shootouts that spread terror among locals.

Gunmen from the Sinaloa Cartel dumped bodies, torched vehicles, and fought with authorities, spreading terror through the state of Zacatecas during the last four days. Government officials claim that the fierce violence is tied to the killing of a local cartel leader.