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.
Law enforcement sources who spoke with Breitbart Texas exclusively revealed that the fatal error came after border state government officials implemented a series of cost-cutting measures throughout the entire security apparatus that has forced officers to cut back on patrolling and several other necessary tasks. Despite the lawlessness that prevails in the state, officials in Tamaulipas claim that the region is a leader in crime prevention.
The fatal shootouts took place over the weekend near the town of Abasolo, Guanajuato, where five cartel gunmen, two Mexican Army soldiers, and one police officer died when a regional cartel lieutenant sent out his forces as payback for the arrest of his wife.
The incident began on Friday afternoon when authorities arrested Diana Laura Jasso Orozco, the wife of Luis “El Flaco” Chavez Hernandez. Authorities had pulled Jasso over and found that she had two handguns in her vehicle. At the time of the arrest, Jasso had another adult female and a child with her.
The man known as El Flaco is a regional leader of the Old School faction of Los Zetas, which along with the Metros faction of the Gulf Cartel and Cartel Jalisco New Generation have been waging a turf war with the Escorpiones faction of the Gulf Cartel.
After learning of his wife’s arrest, El Flaco sent out his gunmen to attack a squad of police officers, setting off a shootout in downtown Abasolo where two gunmen died. Hours later, El Flaco ordered a second attack at the hotel where police officers were staying. Before the attack, cartel gunmen cut the electricity to the city, and sent out three armored vehicles to lead the attack.
The police officers tried to fight off the attack and called for help. However, fellow officers in nearby towns could not arrive because their vehicles did not have enough fuel. The ones who did respond to the shootout were military forces. As they arrived at the entrance of Abasolo, they were ambushed by another squad of gunmen. During that ambush, two soldiers died. Authorities managed to kill three gunmen.
The lack of fuel that kept the officers from nearby towns from assisting was a cost-cutting measure implemented by Tamaulipas Public Security Secretary Sergio Hernando Chavez. Under Chavez’s command, Tamaulipas has seen a drop in morale and a rise in corruption, law enforcement sources consulted by Breitbart Texas revealed.
The officers who spoke with Breitbart Texas revealed that these budget cuts have had a direct effect on the ability of police officers to carry out their tasks.
Government officials in Tamaulipas refused to answer questions about whether the lack of fuel contributed to the weekend shootouts.
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.
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